All These Years
by holdondelena
Summary: Star-crossed lovers who try to understand where they fell apart along their 3 year journey together, rising star Elena Gilbert and famous actor Damon Salvatore, the son of LA's biggest producer, struggle to come to terms with letting the other go. Can they salvage their relationship before it's too late or will Elena realize the price of fame is too heavy a burden?
1. Back To The Beginning

Hello all! I had this entire storyline come to me the other night and I'm very excited to write it and bring it to life. I have the entire thing mapped out already and can't wait to share it with you guys. It'll be full of angst and drama and romance. I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **PRESENT DAY**

Cameras flash in every direction as she steps out of the black range rover and onto the busy Los Angeles strip holding the 90th Annual Academy Awards, a hand stretching out in front of the open car door for her taking. Her lean, tan leg graces the pavement covered in red carpet, her heel sparkling in the light and glow of the setting sun, slowly taking her time to make an entrance. Her hand clasps around the rough one out stretched, fitting perfectly in his hold, where it belonged; where it always belonged, like they were somehow made only for each other. Tonight, however, was different. He was no longer hers, not that anyone outside of their inner circle would know.

"Come on, Elena." He hissed, his patience wearing thin but the kilowatt smile never leaving his face. She'd love that smile forever, even if it currently was just for show. She sighed, bracing herself for the on slaughter of paparazzi and press, something she still hadn't grown used to from her quick rise to fame. She knew how to wrap the press around her finger, a skill she learned from the master himself, but her energy was already running low and the event had barely started. Making the final move out of the car, she says a quick pray of gratitude to herself, taking a shaky breath before composing her racing mind, her smile there but not quite meeting her eyes. His hand gives hers a quick squeeze, reminding her maybe they weren't a lost cause completely. "Let's get this show on." He whispers into her ear, his hand dropping hers and finding the small of her back, giving the on looking press what they believe to be an intimate moment shared by the Hollywood "it" couple. His comment sets her back into the bitter reality that she truly lost him. There are moments where she thought he wouldn't be mad at her forever, that they'd reconnect, but those fleeting moments are gone.

"Try to pretend like you actually _want_ to be here, Damon." She turns to face him, her smile gone, her eyes searching his face for what she didn't know.

"You're so melodramatic." He sighs and removes his hand from her back, gesturing for her to lead the way. She huffs and grips her clutch tighter, stalking off in front of him, wishing for the night to end so she can get out of this dress and out of his site. She feels his eyes wandering over her backside, feeling exposed for so many reasons. Her dress was a bright, crimson red, very Jessica Rabbit-esque, bringing out her golden glow. The formfitting dress clung to her curves, accentuating them perfectly, every man and woman in a 50-mile radius was staring at the perfection that was Elena Gilbert. She felt a hand creep up her back and grip her hip, pulling her close to the unseen force. Without even turning her head she could smell his intoxicating aroma, the mixture of Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille cologne and bourbon making her head spin. His matte black suit pairing perfectly with her look, their stylists coordinating everything, even down to his red pocket square.

His free hand graces her chin, tilting her face towards him, his blue eyes shining with what she's possibly mistaken for jealously. He was always hard to read, even after all this time he was still a mystery to her; maybe that's what kept luring her back in. The allure and blue eyes were a siren's call and she was the unfortunate soul drowning. She gives him a small smile, his eyes softening as they dart to her cherry red plump lips, the world fading around them.

"Oh, do you know what you're doing to me?" He mumbles, still staring at her lips, "You drive me crazy, Lena." His sudden change in emotion and affection gave her whiplash and she slowly pulls away from him, blinking their surroundings back into place. He gives her a confused look before he retreats back behind the wall he's built, locking himself away from her. She didn't blame him, she broke his heart and made dumb mistakes that costed her everything she knew.

"Elena! Elena! Look this way honey!" A man shouts from behind the barricade, his camera aimed at the couple. And just like that, Damon's face is plastered with his famous smile, remembering they are always being watched.

"Is it true you've been casted in Spielberg's new film? Are you going to leave the show then?" Another shouts at her.

"Who was the girl you were seen out with recently, Damon? Are you and Elena seeing other people?" A voice shouts from the back, somehow sounding clear as day over the chaos and blending of voices. The question starts a flurry of more prodding questions about the couple's deteriorating romance.

Elena's chest begins to feel tight and her vision growing unfocused. This was not how she expected the night to go. Her four nominations for her role in the movie _Matched_ were supposed to be a happy celebration. Damon's hand intertwines with hers and quickly pulls her towards the end of the photo op's, leading them inside the venue.

"I'm sorry, I don't know how they found out." He starts after turning down an empty hallway to speak, his hand tousling his jet-black hair. "I made sure we weren't followed or anything…" He's rambling incoherent words before he's silenced by Elena's next sentence, hurt and sorrow shining through those crystal blue oasis's.

"So, it's true then." Spoken so softly, you wouldn't have even known she was speaking, her voice breaking slightly, trying to remain strong. "You've really been seeing someone else?" Tears glistening in her big doe eyes, threatening any moment to spill. She had suspected he was dating someone else, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. She wondered what her life would be like if the studio hadn't insisted on them keeping up this mirage of being a perfect, happy couple until the show was guaranteed renewal, what would've happened if she just never messed up that fateful night almost one year ago.

* * *

 **3 YEARS AGO**

Elena stepped out of Caroline's small and over packed gray Chevy Cruze, stretching while staring up at their new apartment building. She'd really done it. Standing on the sidewalk under a looming palm tree, she bounced on her heels excitedly, so desperately needing this lifestyle change. The driver's door slammed shut and she looked over to find her best friend's blue eyes smiling back at her. The blonde scurried her way around the parked car and threw an arm around the petite brunette, squealing and laughing.

"We did it! I mean, we really did it, Elena!" Caroline pulls their new apartment keys from her pocket and begins to pull Elena towards the automatic sliding door to their new building. The high-rise was a far cry from their dingy, one-bedroom apartment back in Virginia.

Caroline's move to Los Angeles was prompted by her acceptance into UCLA's prestigious theater program and somehow, she convinced Elena to come with her. Caroline loved theater and the arts, wanting to make a full-time career out of it. If she could just snap her fingers and be on Broadway, Caroline would! Elena didn't completely understand the desire to pursue an arts career but supported her best friend nonetheless. Whether it was actually fate that brought her here, or just the drive to start fresh and make something of her life after her parents died, she knew in that moment she had made the right decision to come.

"Let's go, Lena!" Caroline squeals again, practically running to the elevators and making a scene.

"But Care, shouldn't we bring up our items first?" Elena asks, earning herself a glare from Caroline as they step into the shiny elevator, pressing the fifth-floor button.

"The bags will still be there when we get back down! I want to see the views and layout first!" She insisted, bobbing her head consistently. The elevator dinged, the doors opening onto their desired floor. The apartment complex was very high-end and if it hadn't been for Caroline's father paying a good amount of their rent the girls would've never be able to afford anything in LA; Caroline's dad tends to spoil her to make up for the divorce, thinking he can buy her affection and so far, it's worked. Reaching the door labeled 12A Caroline reaches for Elena's hand and squeezes it, pure excitement shining through her crystal blue orbs. "To new beginnings!" She squeals while putting the key into lock, quickly turning it to her left, the click of the lock unlocking echoing in the empty hallway.

Elena reaches forward and pushes the door wide open, stepping into the bare apartment, Caroline's hand still in her grip. The apartment opens up into an expansive living room, two floor-to-ceiling windows center the room giving a perfect view of the Hollywood Hills and beachside from the high-rise. The gears in Caroline's head start to turn as she walks further into their new home, mumbling what she would hang here or place there, causing Elena to let out a soft chuckle.

"What?"

"Nothing," Elena shakes her head, walking towards the hallway and peering into the rooms. "This place is amazing, Care. How did your dad even find it?" She peaks back down the hallway to see Caroline sitting on the kitchen counter, gazing out the window.

"He said he knew some realtor out here…or something." She waves her manicured hand dismissively in the air, not wanting to talk about her father. "Come on," Caroline jumps down from the counter and begins to walk towards the still open front door, "Let's go get our stuff!" She struts out the door back towards the elevator, leaving Elena alone with her thoughts. A pair of familiar brown eyes pops into her head but she pushes the thought away, _now is not the time to think of your ex, Elena._

All thoughts of home and her failed high school sweetheart relationship gone, she sighs contently to herself before catching up with Caroline outside of the apartment complex. Caroline, being Caroline, had already managed to get some poor souls to help with the endless boxes from the car and parked moving truck.

"Elena!" She beckons her friend over to the side of her car where two men are unstacking boxes, talking amongst themselves. Caroline smiles proudly to herself, probably thankful she didn't have to get sweaty and dirty. "This," she gestures towards the muscular brunette boy, his skin an olive tone from being in the California sun for days at a time, "Is Tyler and this," now waving her hand in the direction of the tall blonde on Tyler's side, he was wearing a UCLA letterman jacket in the middle of August, baffling Elena how he wasn't dying from the heat in it, "Is Matt! They live in our apartment and saw me struggling with _all_ these boxes and offered to help!" Her smile growing bigger, her eyes crinkling slightly and glowing in the afternoon sun.

"Nice to meet you…" Tyler pauses, forgetting the name the blonde had just said, extending a hand out towards her friend.

"It's Elena." She says softly, reaching for his strong hand, noticing the prominent biceps flexing in his muscle tee that adorned some band name.

"I wouldn't exactly say we ALL offered to help." Matt says sarcastically, letting out a gruff as he piles two more boxes atop each other. "Ty just has a weakness for pretty girls." He elbows Tyler in the ribs, causing the boys to begin lightly shoving each other around, forgetting the girls were even standing in front of them.

"You could tell me Caroline worked her charm and wrangled you two into doing our dirty work and it wouldn't surprise me!" Elena lets out a loud laugh, earning a glare from Care. "Well, we owe you big time!"

"Oh, you definitely owe us." Matt states, unloading the last of the boxes packed from Caroline's car before picking up a few and walking towards the entrance. "We like cooked dinners! And beer! Mostly beer." He chuckles, giving Tyler a head nod to follow, one last look towards Elena before he disappears into the complex. Tyler quickly picks up a stack of boxes and rushes in to follow his friend, leaving the girls outside.

"Really, Care?" Elena lets out another chuckle, "Not even here for 10 minutes and you've already found men kissing the ground you walk on!"

"What?! Is it my fault they _insisted_ on helping me!" Caroline rolls her eyes, bumping Elena's hip with her own before erupting in giggles herself and wrapping her arms around the brunette. "You know, Lena," she whispers, "I'm so happy you came with me. I don't think I could survive on my own out here or be without my best friend."

Elena's hand darts up to wrap around Caroline's small hand, turning to look the blonde in her pale, blue eyes. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Sniffling slightly, happy tears brimming in both friends' eyes. If there was anyone that could've convinced Elena to just up and move across the country with no real plans, it was Caroline. A throat clears on the side of them and Caroline's blonde hair whips around hitting Elena in the face in the process. With a huff of annoyance, the girls separate, their moment to be resumed later when unpacking.

"We started just piling the boxes in the living room if that's okay." Tyler says cautiously, afraid of being reamed out by Caroline for the interruption. Elena jumps in before Caroline could lash out about privacy, picking up a bag and putting it in Care's arms.

"That's perfect Tyler, thank you! Care, how about we help the boys, so they aren't here all day, I'm sure they have plans."

"Actually-" Matt starts before he's cut off by Tyler.

"We have no plans! Don't even worry about it!"

"That's perfect! See, Elena!" She quickly drops the bag she was holding to the ground as if it was poison causing Matt to raise an eyebrow at the pair, wondering what he'd gotten himself into.

Reaching down for the strap, Elena picks up the bag and throws it over shoulder, guilt overwhelming her that she had two strangers doing all the work.

"Well, since you're free maybe we can all grab food after? Our treat." A wide smile settling on Elena's face, her brown eyes looking captivating as golden flecks sparkle in the low sun. While she was always shy about her looks, especially in comparison to her best friend, Matt was captivated by the brunette's beauty. Her face is small and oval with very high cheekbones and a squared off jaw softly narrowing into a proportionate chin, her almond shaped eyes always appearing doe like, her lips soft and plump covered only in a lip gloss, makeup not really needed for her fresh face. Matt felt the change was refreshing from the usual girls he met since his time in LA.

"I'm down for free food!" Tyler says excitedly, looking forward to spending more time with the girls than the food. Matt simply nodded his head and smiled, gaining a whoop out of his friend.

The rest of the day passed quickly, the girls joining in to help carry the lighter boxes and bags. As the last box was hauled into their filled living, the time was close to 7pm and the group felt exhausted. Elena looked around the crowded living room, wondering how they could have so many boxes for just two girls but remembered she moved with Caroline, a home décor freak. She plopped down on a box, making it a makeshift seat as she pulled out her phone to look up places to eat on Yelp.

"You know, that Korean place is pretty good." Matt's breath tickles the back of her neck and she jumps slightly, not realizing he had been standing behind her. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." He looks sheepishly at her, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's okay," she mumbles while quickly scrolling back to the listing on Yelp, reading the menu and reviews. She can feel the awkward tension rolling off of Matt and attempts to break the ice. "So, how long have you lived in LA?"

"A little over a year. Still getting used to it, it's so—so fast paced."

She's nodding her head quickly, surprised he moved so recently, feeling he fits the vibe and look of the city so well. Lost in her thoughts, Matt breaks the silence again, afraid he's boring the poor girl.

"So…what brought you out to the city of fortune and fame?" He shoves his hands into his front jean pockets and rocks back and forth nervously.

"My best friend," Elena juts her head towards the blonde animatedly talking to Tyler, "She got into UCLA's theater major and asked me to move with her. I didn't have much keeping me back home." She shrugged, leaving it at that. She didn't really want to discuss her dead parents and stoner brother after just meeting Matt and hoped he wouldn't push the subject. He seemed to get the message by her stiff posture and quickly changed the subject.

"UCLA, huh?" Smirking, he looks down at his letterman before looking into her soft, chocolate brown eyes. "Does that mean I'll see you around campus too?"

"Maybe." She looks up from underneath her full lashes, really taking in his appearance. He looked like a stereotypical jock—blonde hair, blue eyes, buff—but something was different about him, he seemed shy and timid. "I'm planning on taking time off from school, I'm not entirely sure what I want to do anymore or if college is still even in that path for me."

"Elena!" Caroline's bubbly voice flows from the kitchen, leaving their conversation on pause. "Are we going to go get dinner soon or what, I'm _starving._ " Being dramatic is one of Caroline's strong suits, not that it ever benefited her outside of people she knew.

Elena jumps up from the makeshift seat and looks down at the Korean restaurant still pulled up on her phone. Before fully checking out the reviews and second guessing herself, she's putting her phone in her back pocket and the recommendation for dinner fell from her lips.

"Let's go try this restaurant Matt recommended, it's called Genwa Korean BBQ."

"Ugh, Matt _loves_ that place! Of course, he would recommend it!" Tyler groans, sounding whiny and childish, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hey, I'll have you know she was already scrolling by it on Yelp!"

"Yeah, by it! She wasn't on it!" He rolls his eyes at Matt before standing and heading for the center of the room. "At least they have a decent selection of alcohol."

"Genwa it is!" Caroline chirps in after hearing about the alcohol, just having celebrated her 21st birthday a month ago. Caroline was the biggest light weight Elena had ever met, the girl gets hiccups just from one glass of wine. "What're we waiting for?! Let's go! We'll take my car."

"No need." Matt's voice clears through the group, Elena forgetting for a moment he had still been in the room. His presence felt boring, forgettable even and it made Elena feel a twinge of guilt to think like that. She barely knew the guy and already felt he was a stick in the mud; she was judging a book by its cover and promised herself she'd get to know him before the night was over. "It's only a two-block walk from here. It's why we go to it a lot, it's close."

The group made their descent out of the apartment and into the small elevator, the heat radiating between Tyler and Caroline felt like the summer sun, the pair clearly hitting it off very well. The walk to the place was short as promised, Matt leaving Elena to her thoughts throughout the 10-minute walk. She wasn't looking for anything romantic and Matt's constant glances kept bringing that thought forward. She wanted to be honest with the guy, before he got in too deep, to let him know she was a mess that couldn't be cleaned up and he shouldn't waste the time; he seemed like a _really_ good guy, she didn't want to hurt him.

The dinner and rest of the night flew by, the group sharing many laughs and many drinks. Caroline often sharing one too many personal stories of high school parties and the infamous Elena Gilbert, causing Elena to have the waiter cut her off, knowing a drunk Caroline was never easy to deal with. After finally paying the bill, the guys insisting they didn't need to pay for them, they began the trip back to their complex, the walk this time seeming to drag on forever. The girls weren't sure if it was from the drinks or the feeling of being away from Mystic Falls finally hitting them that they desperately wanted nothing more but to get back to their unpacked apartment and sleep on the temporary air mattress. After long goodbyes and promises to hang out again, the boys depart from the elevator onto their floor, leaving the girls in silence.

"You know," Caroline slurs slightly, the buzz of all the fruity cocktails making her brain fuzzy, "Tyler is kind of cute." Elena rolls her eyes and pushes Caroline towards the opening doors, helping her walk to their front door.

"You didn't move all the way out here to date Caroline."

"No, _you_ didn't, miss I'm still stuck on Liam. I _definitely_ came here to date!" Caroline's comment slightly stung, bitter reminders of everything that went wrong coming to surface, but dismissing her drunk comment she opened their door and dragged her blonde friend in.

"Let's get you to bed. Need to start nursing that hangover you're gonna get before you blame me tomorrow." Elena mumbled, pushing Caroline to walk in the direction of the bedrooms where they had set up the mattress. Tomorrow would certainly be hell for Caroline as she walked around a loud, noisy campus to get setup for the resuming classes next week; but for now, she simply collapsed onto the bed, still dressed in her moving clothes and closed her eyes, listening to the soft, rhythmic breathing that meant Caroline had already fallen asleep beside her. She hoped her dreams would give her some guide as to what to do with her life now, as unrealistic as it sounded, Elena truly hoped when she woke up tomorrow she'd have some life changing plans.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed! Leave me a review of what you think! Thanks guys! :)


	2. Today Will Be Different

Hello All!

Thank you all so much for the support and reviews with this story! Sorry for the slight delay with this and my other story, I was on a small vacation over the weekend and just didn't have access to internet as much as I would have liked to! My other story will have an update by Wednesday evening, just finishing last minute touches, I want to only put out the best chapters I can! Again thanks so much for the feedback guys, it means so much y'all want to read my work!

Well here is Chapter 2! Enjoy!

* * *

 **PRESENT DAY**

Damon cursed softly to himself for having been so foolish, him and Elena had seemed to be making progress over the last few months, his anger towards her and her choices had been left on a low simmer in the back of his mind. And yet, he had still decided it was time to move on but looking at her right now made his face contort in pain. He just had his days where he'd wake up and be reminded of their fights that led up to the night their relationship ended, and he'd be blinded with rage, acting cold towards her the instant they came into contact. The constant back and forth with his emotions and feelings was draining to Elena. If he hated her as much as he claimed, then why was he always calling Elena at all hours of the night when he apparently had another girl?

"Elena, I'm sor-"

"Don't." Elena whispers, silent tears sliding down her cheek. She shook her head, her curls bouncing freely as she slowly backed away, needing space from him; from everything. "I-I have to go." She turned quickly on her heels and began a quick escape, dodging the hand that came out and tried to grab at her arm.

"Elena! Wait!"

But she never turned around, knowing if she caught just one glimpse of his blue eyes she'd fall back into the same routine, they'd never get anything out of this if one of them didn't stop. She was tired of the chase, tired of it all. More tears fell down her face, ruining the stars red carpet ready face. The venue was starting to crowd as more celebrities filed in and found their tables, the massive Staples Center's walls closing in around her. Her breathing became more labored, her face stung with the feeling of numbness as her head swiveled around trying to find an inconspicuous exit. Her vision fuzzy, whether it be from the tears or lack of oxygen—or both—her hand shakily reached into her clutch and grabbed her phone, scrolling through the contacts until she found the correct number and hit dial.

The roar of the press and socialites got increasingly louder as she waited for the person to pick up, her deep, rapid breaths consuming her energy. She had to get out. She had to leave now.

"Hello?" The voice on the line muffled.

"Aunt Jenna?" She said in between choked sobs, trying to quickly say what she needed before her alone time was interrupted. "I need to come home…I don't want this life anymore…I can't do this." Her nominations would have to wait as she cried over the phone to her aunt. Expecting some big speech from Jenna, she felt relief rushing through her body when her aunt promised to make her room up for it. Before she could push through the emergency exit in the back of the building fingers wrapped around her bare forearm, the familiar scent and electricity buzzing with their contact caused her to sharply inhale.

"Please don't go, just…just hear me out Elena. Don't do this. Not again." He begged, his eyes pleading with her big, glassy brown orbs. His hand reaches up and wipes the tears from her face, causing her to slightly flinch from the unsuspecting act. Instead of removing his hand he gently cups her face and she leans further into the soft palm of his hand, closing her eyes.

"I have to." Elena whispers, her hand reaching up to cover his before slowly removing it from her face. His fingers curl around her hand, intertwining them together, refusing to let go. "Damon—" She pauses, looking down at their hands and staring at the promise ring she had wished to return to him long ago. She slips her hand out of his grip and quickly slides the tiffany cut ring off of her right ring finger, placing it in his hand.

"Hey, hey, hey," He reaches out for her hand again, pulling her back in. "Let's just go somewhere and talk, we can go wherever you want, let's just get out of here." Panic begins to set in and settle on his face as he holds the ring he gave her on their one year. Even after all their fights and separation, she hadn't once returned it to him; it was his way of not letting her go even when she wasn't his to keep. He seemed to be living in a constant loop, history always repeating for him.

"I'm going home, Damon." Elena says sullenly, removing her hand once again from his grip and taking several steps back.

"Okay, yeah, then let's go back to your place."

"No," She shakes her head at him misunderstanding, remorse bubbling in her. " _Home_ , Damon. Mystic Falls."

Damon's eyes widen as she confesses to him she's leaving once again, but this time with the chance of not returning for good. He begins to step towards her, afraid of this being their last interaction, not wanting this to be their last memory. A tear slips out of his right eye and down his cheek, his blue eyes shining with sorrow and regret. Before he can say anything else or prevent her from leaving, their conversation is interrupted.

"Damon, son! There you are!" Giuseppe's voice booms across the narrow hallway as he makes his way towards the couple. Damon quickly glances back towards his father, wishing for nothing more than a few more minutes alone with Elena. Seeing her opportunity, Elena slips out the back exit, the door quietly slamming behind her, the last thing she saw was Damon turning back towards where she once stood; his father behind him yapping about finding his younger brother and girlfriend. Knowing his father would drag him away towards their seats she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and ran her hands through her hair. Their car and driver were long gone and not expected to return for a few hours, so she set off to hail a cab, praying to not be photographed as she did.

Soon enough she's sitting in the backseat of a yellow taxi cab, her nerves causing her hands to shake as she pulls out her phone to already see numerous messages and missed calls from him and her manager. Being nominated a decent amount will definitely get you noticed when you _aren't_ there. Sending one last text to Caroline that she would be away for a few days as to not worry her friend, she powers down her phone; not wanting to deal with the backlash to occur from her team for leaving the show early.

"Where to miss?" The cab driver cleared his throat, looking back at her in the rearview mirror. Her life being in shambles, she wondered what she should even do.

* * *

 **3 YEARS AGO**

Elena was shoved off of the air mattress and onto the hardwood, cherry colored floors, waking up ultimately from her face meeting the cold ground. She groggily looked around to find a certain blonde sprawled out in the middle of the temporary bed.

"Thanks." She mutters towards her sleeping friend, rubbing her cheek that had just been smacked on the ground before slowly coming to a stand. Padding her way towards the bathroom, she throws on the lights and groans, her head lightly throbbing from the assault and from the drinks last night. She peels off her jeans and ribbed henley tee, wishing she hadn't slept in the same clothes, her legs feeling stiff as she steps out of the denim pooled at her ankles. Reaching into the open shower door she plays around with the knobs until hot water is pouring out of the shower head and steam is filling the bathroom. She sighs contently and steps into the warm shower, the hot water rolling down her, relieving her aching muscles. Having no real bathroom setup quite yet, the marble back splashed shower was bare, the typical scatter of shampoo bottles and body washes missing among the girls' new space, leaving Elena to just stand under the constant stream of warm water with her thoughts.

Being the worrier she was, Elena was beginning to second-guess her sudden move to Los Angeles with Caroline, wondering what she was truly going to make of her life and how she'd survive without her aunt Jenna. The change in water temperature reminded her she couldn't spend the entire day in the shower and she quickly got out, not wanting to hear the wrath of her friend for leaving no hot water. Out of habit she reached to her left for where the towels once stood in her old apartment and was met with a cold tiled wall.

"Crap." She mumbles as she looks around the spacious bathroom. The bathroom was set in shades of gray with white accent pieces, giving it a very modern feel, a soaker tub sat in the far corner big enough to seat four. While the view was pleasant and an upgrade from any previous bathroom she'd ever stepped in, annoyance grew in her as the steam left the room and the air began to turn cold. With her hair dripping and body covered in goosebumps she debated on putting on her old clothes but not wanting to fight the denim with her wet legs she made the rash decision to look for the towels packed away. Opening the door slowly, she peaked into the bedroom to see Care was nowhere in sight. Creeping out of the doorframe, she padded into the bedroom, water dripping and forming small puddles beneath her steps. Remembering they hadn't moved any of the boxes from the living room yet she mentally kicked herself for allowing herself to be distracted by the boys from the second floor. Grabbing the sheet they used on the mattress last night, she wrapped it tightly around her, slightly shivering from the central air kicking in.

"Care?" She yelled as she walked into the hallway, praying her friend had somehow already gotten ready and left for the day. While Caroline and Elena had been friends since diapers and had no real boundaries, she just wanted an easy start to the day; this clearly not being one of them.

"In here!" The blonde's voice chirped from the other side of their downtown apartment, no signs of a hangover present in her tone.

"Do you know where we packed the towels? I completely forgot we weren't actually moved in and—" Her voice stops as her eyes dart up from the floor, making eye contact with blue eyes but not the pair she was looking for. "Oh!"

In her kitchen around the small island stands Matt and Tyler dressed in workout clothes, looking tired and in worse shape than the girls who drank more.

"Uh, hey." Tyler says awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with the soaking wet brunette.

Elena sheepishly smiles towards them, feeling self-conscious and embarrassed as the white sheet clings to her, absorbing what was left of the water on her. She pulls the sheet tighter, wrapping her arms around her small waist. Unlike Tyler, Matt continually checks out the girl, stealing glances when he suspects her to not notice; but she notices each.

"We, uh" Matt clears his throat as he's elbowed in the side by his friend, "just finished up a run and had wanted to see if you girls wanted to grab breakfast or something?"

"But I told them we couldn't because you're coming with me to campus to get a few things, _right?_ " Caroline piped in, sensing the tension, shutting down any plans and ultimately forcing Elena to walk around UCLA's large campus.

"Right." She quickly nodded, wanting to get the boys out of their apartment as soon as they could, feeling uncomfortable under Matt's gaze. She wondered if he'd gotten any mixed signals when they went out for food last night. Being in a new area and fresh out of a relationship, she was far from ready for another one; especially not with someone she barely knew.

Matt opens his mouth to speak but quickly closes it, seeming slightly defeated. Tyler picking up on this cue puts his hand on his friends' broad shoulder and smiles towards the girls, his eyes brightening when he looks at Caroline.

"Maybe next time then." The comment directed more for Caroline than the group in general but all four nods in agreement. The boys make their way towards the apartment door, Tyler's hand still resting on Matt's shoulder to be able to direct him out of the apartment before he stays long past his welcome. "We'll see you around."

Once the door closes behind them Elena lets out an exasperated sigh, her clutch on her sheet loosening, her knuckles no longer white from the grip. Behind her Caroline snickers, the rummaging of boxes reminding Elena she still needs to properly dry off and get ready. Spinning around on her heels, she is met with a towel being thrown her way before the scowl on her face can even be formed.

"Not funny, Caroline." She huffs, catching the towel before it smacks her in the face.

"You have to admit, it's a little funny." Caroline holds her hand up during the thought, pinching her index finger and thumb together, keeping less than a centimeter between the two, trying to lighten her friend's mood. Caroline's goofy smile and messy bun cause Elena to roll her eyes, taking in her less than perfect appearance as a sign the blonde is internally struggling with the after effects of drinking.

"You," Elena breathes out, swapping the sheet for the towel, thankful for the warmth the dry cloth is giving her, "look like shit."

"You're one to talk!" Caroline bursts out in a fit of laughter unfazed by Elena's actions, knowing they both looked like hot mess expresses. Wiping the unfallen tears from her eyes, Caroline rummages through the same box once again, another towel appearing in her hands. "So, you're really going to come to campus with me?" The smile on the blondes face fixed, her question being a yes, or yes answer only.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Okay then."

• • •

Elena got ready fairly quickly, drying her wet hair and throwing on the first outfit she found in her suitcase, not caring for her appearance. Caroline, on the other hand, took an hour and a half to get ready after showering, leaving Elena impatiently waiting on the floor of the empty bedroom she claimed as hers, unpacking a few small boxes here and there. Opening yet another, Elena's breath hitches in her throat as she comes across items she hadn't realized her aunt had packed up for her from their family home. An oversized Whitmore varsity sweater and pictures of the happy couple sit neatly packed along with a few other various items and knickknacks. She thought she had returned most of Liam's items to him after their messy breakup but here was one of his sweaters across the country with her, her favorite one in fact. Not even having to take it out of the box she could still smell the remains of his cologne, somehow guys scents left everlasting impressions on things while she couldn't even smell her own after five minutes of it being sprayed. Her emotions were bubbling to the surface, a mixture of regret and heartbreak pulling the lead.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Care's voice echoing into the large, empty room as she pads down the hall to the open door, stopping in her tracks when her eyes land on Elena and then on the unpacked items. "Hey," she softly says, walking into the room and sitting down next to her best friend, taking the sweater from her friends' death grip on it. "Don't focus on him. Liam was and has always been an asshole, you were just blinded by love! You deserve better, Lena. So much better." Her hand shoots out and grabs Elena's, squeezing it softly.

It was no secret that Caroline had disliked Liam since the first time the couple broke up over a nasty fight. Liam was the jealous type, he'd often pick fights with Elena over the smallest things and sometimes threw around that he thought she was cheating on him whenever she was home when Jeremy's friends were over. Despite their arguments and seemingly different personalities and interests, Elena had been with him since her Sophomore year of high school and that meant something to her, even if it didn't mean anything to him.

"Let's find somewhere we can donate these items to." Caroline's voice breaks the silence, her thought scaring Elena into reality.

"I can't." Elena squeaks, shaking her head quickly, wanting to put a pin in the conversation and attempting to reach for the gray sweater.

"Can't or won't?" Her friend pushes, leaning away from the brunette's reach. Caroline was always one to poke and prod when most others would resign their efforts. "Lena," she pauses, "it's time to let go."

Tears brim the brunette's eyes, avoiding eye contact with the blue eyes burning into her profile.

"Okay."

Caroline nods her head quickly, collecting the items and photos before Elena can object. Pulling herself and her friend from the ground, Care clutches the items to her chest, preventing Elena from taking them back. "Let's go then, alright? I don't want to get to campus too late."

Both girls set off on what Elena believes will be a long day, wanting nothing more than to lay in their makeshift bed all day. Instead of starting an argument with her persistent friend, she goes along with the plan to get rid of Liam's items, knowing she may not want to but needed to. This whole move was about starting fresh, wasn't it? With an inaudible sigh and soft shake of the head, Elena closes the apartment door behind her, taking in the quiet surroundings of the hallway, the only sound being the clacking of Caroline's wedges ahead of her.

"You're doing the right thing. It's what's best for you." Caroline's arm wraps around Elena's shoulders in the small elevator, squeezing her into a hug, her arm running up and down her best friend's forearm.

"I know." Her voice barely above a whisper as the ding of the elevator signals them it's time to get out. Knowing she would have plenty time to continually listen to sad, love songs from Taylor Swift and Adele over the course of her life, she wasn't going to allow herself to stay sad forever. She stood taller, thinking maybe if she led on she was okay to everyone else then she would believe it for herself.

Things would be different for Elena Gilbert, they had to be. She needed them to be, now more than ever.

• • •

The quad of UCLA was bustling with incoming students and transfers, all excited to be attending such a well-known school, knowing their opportunities for whatever they pursued were seemingly endless in California. The sun was high in the afternoon sky, shining down and warming Elena's skin, giving her already golden tone a glow. Her brown hair showing highlights of golden-blonde embers, sure to lighten even more with all the promises of beach days Caroline was likely to have; the most Mystic Falls even had close to a beach was the Falls and a few manmade lakes. The environment and its pace were a complete flip, they had yet to encounter any cold, detached passersby, each person they came into contact with was strangely mellow and open. It must be something in the air here, because Mystic Falls didn't have this nice of people. Or it was simply that they were two pretty girls and Caroline's ability to talk your ear off scared anyone's hostility away.

Walking with their arms linked, the girls made their way around the University, stopping at the registrar's office and campus bookstore for Caroline before ending their tiring adventure in a cute, little campus café. It was well past 2 when they sat at a small, round high-top in front of the large windows adorned with floral paintings. Each with a coffee in their hand and a shared pumpkin muffin between them, they sat in a comfortable silence for the next few moments.

"So…" Caroline paused, glancing up at Elena while picking off a piece of the top of their muffin. Elena looked to her friend with curiosity, a slight tilt in her head a signal that she didn't know where the blonde was going with this conversation and wouldn't be the one to take lead. Sighing, Care dropped the piece of muffin into her open mouth before wiping her hands together, her silver bracelets and charms jingling with each move. "What did you think of the school? It was amazing, right?! You seemed to fit right in here, and you know they have this _amazing_ writing program that you might like! We could take some classes together, I know you aren't into theater but there are other basic courses that didn't transfer over with me…"

Her voice droned on in the background as Elena glanced out the window and into the distance. She hadn't thought about writing since she left Whitmore for much needed time off, and she sure hadn't had the passion for it since her mother's death. After what felt like hours, Caroline stopped rambling realizing her friend was not listening, snapping Elena out of her daze. Glancing back at her blue-eyed friend, she saw concern written in her eyes, her pale hand laying on top of Elena's small, tan one.

"I don't know, Care. I'm not really sure I want to write anymore…" She trailed off, removing her hand from under her friends' and laying them both in her lap. The remaining muffin sitting untouched across from her looked unappealing now, Elena feeling sick from the nagging in her mind about her future. She usually kept these thoughts at bay, wanting to live in the moment like her friend, but times like this reminded her she needed to figure out her life.

"Well then just go in undeclared! Come on, it'll be fun and if I know you as well as I do—which I do—you'll regret not going back sooner."

"For once Care I just want to do things for myself. Not because others think it is what's best for me."

Elena not backing down on her stance caused Caroline to remain silent the rest of their time in the small café. Elena knew her friend was only looking out for her and hadn't meant it in a pushy way like her aunt did, but it still hurt to think people often looked at her and thought she didn't have her life put together or something. Eventually the girls took off and returned to their still packed apartment, Elena taking to unpacking and Caroline eventually helping after eagerly getting off the phone with her mother.

The soft knock on their door left both girls staring at each other, hunched over their boxes, hair up in high ponytails, slightly dusty and in what one would think is pajamas. Care made no movement towards the door forcing Elena to groan in protest and roll her eyes as she padded over the newly laid rug of their living room. In the last hour and a half both girls had managed to make the living room look home-y; pictures and décor littered the walls, tables now had lamps or various coffee table books placed on it. What was mainly left was assembly of some of their furniture, something both girls were putting off.

The door swings open and the pair of girls is met with the familiar brown eyes of their downstairs neighbor, Tyler. He was clad in a UCLA tour guide tee and cargo shorts, sporting a more casual look than normal. Pushing Elena out of the way, Caroline comes in the center of the doorframe, eagerness rolling off of her in waves. Quickly pushing the fallen blonde strands behind her ear and smoothing out her wrinkled Mystic Falls High shirt, Care smiles from ear to ear, her eyes practically glowing.

"Hey Caroline." He smirks, taking in her disheveled appearance before looking behind her and eyeing the apartment. "I see you guys finally started unpacking." He nods towards the almost put together living room, trying to pick apart their personalities based on how they set up their place.

"Yeah, thank god!" Caroline puffs out an exaggerated breath, her grin never fading as she tries to play off being exhausted from all the pictures she's hung. "Who knew moving could be so stressful!"

Elena rolls her eyes before deciding to make her presence known between the two.

"You did, Care. This isn't our first time moving." She says with a chuckle, turning away from her friend before her eyes could burn a hole into her face. Making her way towards what should be the entertainment center, Elena plops onto the ground in front of the pieces and tries to figure out what connected to what without the original instructions.

The door closes behind her and two sets of footsteps echo in the apartment before she's met with a pair of Nike running sneakers in her peripheral vision.

"Need any help?" Tyler raises an eyebrow at the girl, sensing she clearly had no idea what she was doing.

"I think I can manage." She tilts her head up towards him, his square jaw appearing more defined from this angle and she can see why Caroline seems to have a thing for him. Returning to the puzzle in front of her she grabs two pieces that look like they'd belong together and attempts to screw them together with no luck, resulting in a stripped screw and soft cursing under her breath.

"Oh, Elena, stop pretending you know how to build things and let him help!" Caroline whines in the background, causing Elena to roll her eyes, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks from her friend's forwardness. Giving up, she nods her head slowly, a chuckle escaping Tyler's lips as he squats next to her and takes the items out of her hands.

Not bothering to call Matt, Tyler works his way through assembling the girls' furniture as they continued to unpack. His payment the free beer and time spent with Caroline was enough to make him not question why he spent 3 hours after guiding tour groups helping these girls set their apartment. Setting the T.V. into the entertainment center before leaving for the night, Tyler turns it on to quickly check that he's properly installed it, a celebrity news channel blares from the speakers.

" _And to end tonight's Hollywood recap is the pressing headlines about this celebrity couple's nasty breakup!"_

"Oooh, turn it up!" Caroline rushes back into the living room, her blonde curls now bouncing around her small head, free from their once high ponytail. "I want to hear who this is about!" Tyler rolls his eyes at the blonde, not understanding anyone's obsession with celebrity gossip, before turning up the volume, drawing Elena's attention as well.

" _Reports having been flying in all week that model, Andie Star, has called off her engagement to actor and philanthropist, Damon Salvatore, just weeks after he was spotted out with several other girls while Star was away on a week shoot. This comes days after Star is photographed without her engagement ring in New York City during Fashion Week. The couple have been dating for nearly 2 years after meeting at one of Giuseppe's fundraising galas, where they seemingly hit it off. Sources close to the couple say there hasn't been any spark between the pair for months, only continuing with their engagement to save face. When asked, the couple's PR declined to comment on the matter. I guess Andie couldn't be compelled by those baby blues any longer, failing to make Damon a one-woman man." The reporter laughs before turning to her co-anchor, both who animatedly begin to discuss the plight of what once was Star and Salvatore's romance._

"He is disgusting, he cares so little for women. I can't see how anyone could date him, let alone be engaged to." Elena mutters to herself, however the comment is heard by Care.

"Oh, I don't know, Lena." Care says wistfully, twirling a blonde strand around her index finger. "He is ridiculously hot! And dreamy! Have you _seen_ him in his new action movie?!"

"He's an ass, Care!" Not wanting to continue the conversation about yet another famous manwhore, Elena walks briskly over to Tyler and snatches the remote from his hand, silencing the now broadcasting fashion show. Tired and slightly annoyed at her friend's increasing fascination with celebrities, she excuses herself to bed, leaving Caroline and Tyler alone in their fully unpacked living room. Opening her bedroom door, she is overjoyed to see Tyler had assembled her bed and she quickly flops down onto the mattress, sinking into the plush, bare bed. He had even carried in the boxes labeled as _Elena's bedroom_ and set them in the far, back corner. Finally resting after a long day, the brunette's eyes begin to feel heavy and she sighs contently on the unmade bed, not caring there were no sheets to lie under. _The irony_ , she thought to her sleepy self as she blindly reaches over to her nightstand to turn off the bedside lamp, falling quickly asleep in the foreign room. The quiet sounds of the city looming just beyond her closed window, her dreams filled with unfamiliar blue eyes and promises of a passionate, fulfilled life.

* * *

Well, what did everyone think?! Let me know in the comments! Don't forget to follow, favorite, review, whatever! Thanks everyone! :)


	3. Keep Your Eyes Open

The much awaited chapter 3! Super excited to have written this one from Damon's perspective, the first we've seen from him yet and definitely not the last. I've been a little under the weather since my last update and still seem to not be feeling better so between work and being sick it's just delayed my writing a bit, sorry for that guys. I promise to have the next updates posted much quicker, like I said I'm super excited to be writing this and want you guys to get the best quality and content. Let me know if anyone has questions or comments about this chapter below or in a PM, enjoy! xx

* * *

 **PRESENT DAY**

Damon was dragged away from the back exit by his father's tight grip around his right forearm, reminding him all too well of his childhood days. He kept peering behind, hoping to see her face reappear through the crowd as the small hallway got further and further away. Several of his father's producer friends attempted to greet him on his walk to their table, mentions of potential roles and gigs being thrown around but it all sounded something like white noise to him. He slid into the empty chair on the side of his brother, avoiding the glances of onlookers who were now wondering where his date was. The concerned side glance he was receiving from his baby brother caused aggravation to stir within him, reaching for the full champagne flute in front of him he grips the stem of the glass and throws the drink back before he is raising his hand in the air to call over a server for a refill.

"Do you think drinking right now is the answer to whatever problem you're clearly having?" Stefan's annoyed whisper reaches his ears, causing Damon to turn towards him and send a chilling glare his way, one that told Stefan to drop it. Stefan throws his hands up off the table, a sign that he did not want an argument right now. "Forget I asked." He mumbles, turning towards his date now sliding into the seat to his left.

"Hey, where did you run off to?" Stefan softly asks her, taking her hand in his and stroking his thumb along the back of her hand. His dates eyes were sad, shining with unshed tears, causing Stefan to tense up. He hated seeing her upset and he hated even more not knowing the reason. "What's wrong?"

"This is _your_ _fault_!" Stefan's date spat at Damon, causing Damon's eyes to grow wide with anger towards the blonde, his fist clenching at his side. Damon was never fond of her, her peppy upbeat attitude always made his skin crawl, her demands for attention and her constant need for being in control clashed with his strong personality.

"What's my fault, blondie?" He says with a tongue click, taking Stefan's flute and casually taking a sip, wishing for the tumbler of bourbon he ordered ages ago. His nickname for her made her more frustrated and she was on the brink of lunging out of her seat.

"What's going on?!" Stefan managed to slip out before the blonde could get her next remark fired out, his grip on her hand tightening.

"Elena texted me! She told me she's leaving," Caroline holds her phone out in front of the two brothers, flashing the one and only message her best friend bothered to leave her. "I tried calling her, but it keeps going to voicemail and I-I don't know what to do." She chokes out, fighting the sob that was bubbling in her throat. Damon reaches for her phone, only to have his hand smacked out of the way by Caroline. Her blonde waves tossing side to side as she shakes her head. " _You_ _did this!_ She's leaving because of _you!"_ She sneered at the eldest Salvatore brother, every emotion built up towards Damon pouring out of her.

The tight smile Damon was now wearing made the blonde reach over Stefan, wanting nothing more than to slap that smile off of his face. Stefan's arms quickly encased her thin frame, pulling her back into her chair. His glass of bourbon now set down in front of him by the beautiful honey-blonde waitress who is trying hard to get his attention, but his eyes wander to the empty seat to his right, wanting to see nothing more than her beautiful smile and warm, chocolate brown eyes. His silence gains a bitter chuckle from Caroline, but his eyes are glued to where she should be sitting.

"She left on her own, Caroline." His tone laced with anger and dripping with sarcasm. "I didn't force her out the door…again."

"Oh, don't act like you haven't been pushing her away for months." Caroline whispers harshly as a group walks by their table. "You've strung her along this entire time, pretending like there was ever a chance your relationship would go back to how it was before she left last year."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Damon dismissively waves his hand towards her, trying to end the conversation before his father's rounds around the room ends.

"I know you can't let her go! You can't stand the thought of her not being in your life in some way!" Her words cause Damon to tense up, his fingers squeezing tighter around the tumbler, surprised he hasn't broken it yet. "You pretend to not care about her, that you aren't in love with her still, that you're just doing what your team tells you to do but it's all lies. You may be off in some fantasy world with god knows what girl but it's all just a rouse. You're scared, Damon Salvatore!" Her finger jabs into his chest, startling him by her now close proximity.

"Now, you listen here _blondie_ , get it through your thick skull that you have _never_ known anything about me." His hand forcefully grabs her thin one and shoves it away. "Elena and I have been over for a _very_ long time. I'm not living some fantasy." His last words holding little meaning to himself or Caroline. He pushes back on the table and quickly stands, straightening his suit jacket and tie. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better company to find."

"You don't deserve her!" Caroline's voice floats to him as he's walking away from their center table, her words stinging like a slap in the face, her obnoxious voice causing curious glances from those seated near them. He dodges familiar faces while trying to exit the arena before running into one person who should make him feel better but instead regret sits in the back of his throat. Her usual shiny brown, voluminous curls looking dull in the fluorescent hallway lighting, her tan skin looking anything but golden, her brown eyes so dark and full of mischief that usually excited him scared him and he wondered how long it had been since he really took the time to notice her eerily similar but far from perfect features. Her hand snakes up his chest, her fire red nails scraping along his $1,300 Armani shirt. _Was he really living in a fantasy_?

"Not now." He hisses, causing her to drop her hand from the spot on his chest, seeming slightly hurt. She bats her long, thick lashes up at him, staring into his blue eyes and he quickly darts his eyes away. The cat and mouse game he often played with her was beginning to grow tiresome and he wondered how it took him so long to realize the difference between love and lust. With the brunette showing no signs of moving he attempts to step around her, sighing loudly when her hand wraps around his wrist.

"What? I thought you'd be happy to see me." She purrs as her fingers interlock with his, pulling him closer to her. Her head tilts upwards and her lips brush softly against his, her once intoxicating aroma making him feel dizzy and sick. Pushing her away, she scoffs and brushes the wrinkles out of her cocktail dress. "I see." She tsks, her mouth forming a thin line. "You see her after weeks of avoiding and suddenly I'm no good." Not knowing how this barely famous model managed to get into the Academy Awards tonight, he mulls over his thoughts before pulling her close to his chest and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

"I am happy." The lie slips out of his lips. His life already feeling over since the moment she stepped on that plane a year ago, he decided ignoring his emotions was the only way he'd survive. But there in the back of his mind screaming softly was his conscious telling him he'd lose her forever if he didn't fight. Pushing those thoughts away for now, wanting to just enjoy the rest of the night, he takes the brunette's hand in his and leads her towards an exit. _No point in playing the martyr now_ , he thought.

* * *

 **3 YEARS AGO**

The shrilling sound of a phone ringing for the fifth time in a row breaks through Damon's dream, causing him to stir under the covers. Groaning, he throws his arm towards his bedside table, feeling around for the blaring device. Finally finding it on the edge of the table he quickly drags his arm back, swiping right to accept the call and throwing the phone up to his ear, ready to go off on whoever could be calling him at this god-awful hour.

"What!" He barks, his eyes still closed, blocking out the glare of the ever-present afternoon sun coming through his large, modern bay windows. His head throbs from his night of binge drinking and he doesn't remember how he exactly got home but his lack of memory is pushed aside by the annoyance he feels towards his automatic curtains being left open all night.

"Now, is that any way to greet your father?" Giuseppe clucks from the other end of the phone, shuffling of papers being heard in the background.

"I don't have time for this." He hisses, his relationship with his father far from worthy of an afternoon wakeup call. Ready to hang up, Giuseppe's voice barks from the speaker on the phone, sending a jolt through Damon's already pounding head.

"Damon, I swear if you don't get your shit together! Have you seen the headlines?! You're making a disgrace of our family name!" His father clears his throat, "Get up and get dressed! You have a meeting at 2PM to talk with a network, don't be late!" The line went dead, and Damon slowly opened his eyes, only allowing light to come through in the tiniest of slits. His phone read 12:35PM, a relieved sigh escaping his lips as he realizes there is still plenty of time before his meeting.

He slides back under the covers, blocking out the constant stream of light coming into his room. Filled with dark, chestnut brown furniture and black accent pieces, no pictures or paintings to be seen, just a simple 55-inch flat screen television hung on the wall opposite the bed and very open concept bathroom was connected to the room. The room was simply that, a room. It was a place he was able to come drown his sorrows in and sleep hidden away from the world. Not bothering to close the curtains, Damon throws the black, down-filled comforter over his head and settles back into sleep, only to be interrupted by the banging on his bedroom door.

"There is no way he came to make sure I got out of bed that quickly…" Damon mumbles aloud, throwing the comforter over him and dragging himself from his plush California King bed. After what felt like a century of stumbling to the door in a sort of daze, he pulls the handle on his door, leaving it wide open. Stefan's green eyes shined with amusement as he took in his brother's site, dressed in only plaid pajama bottoms he hadn't thought he owned.

"Good afternoon, sleeping beauty." Stefan chuckles, stepping around Damon and entering the room, taking in the array of clothing strewn across the hardwood floors, some pieces being from Damon's revolving door of hookups.

"How did you get in my apartment?" Damon shakes his head, his raven locks falling into his eyes, a moment of confusion flashes across his face before his stony features return. Damon lived in the penthouse of his high-rise, the only access being with a swipe keycard to select the floor in the elevator; a keycard he gave to no one, not even Andie.

"Oh, come on brother. You can't be mad at me for wanting to check in on you." Stefan pushes aside a pair of black dress pants with his shoe and turns to face the cold, blue eyes of his big brother. "Besides, if it wasn't for me you'd be god knows where. You can thank Mason at the bar for calling me at 2AM to get your drunk ass home."

Not remembering much of the events last night, or of the last few nights of the week, Damon decides his pounding headache was more painful than getting lectured from Stefan and stays quiet for some time. Walking across to his dresser he grabs the crystal bottle filled with amber colored liquid and pours it to the brim of a tumbler, the strong scent of bourbon filling his nostrils and waking him up. Day drinking was a norm for Damon, he'd often joke at press events and in interviews that some of his best work was performed when he was slightly buzzed.

"I don't need you to clean up my messes, _Stefan_." He hisses after taking a gulp of the liquid, the sting of the alcohol hitting his throat. He was the big brother for a reason.

"You may not _want_ my help, but you sure as hell need it. Dad is pissed about the headlines you've caused lately, do you even care?"

"All this talk about headlines," Damon groans loudly, unaware of whatever they may be talking about, "but how can I care if I have _no_ idea what you're talking about." He sips the last of the beverage before throwing the cup back onto the dresser. He often didn't read about himself unless it was in high praise and even then, he didn't care what the world thought of him. He was a Salvatore, and Salvatore men didn't seek approval from others; or so they thought.

The sound of his television coming to life forces him to turn around, Stefan quickly flipping through channels before finding the one he wanted. A flash of paparazzi pictures from TMZ of his ex-fiancée floods the screen, an overly excited reporter speaking off screen about their demise. He flinches, a sheer moment of pain reflecting across his ocean blue eyes before it's gone as fast as Stefan recognizes it. Stefan's hand finds his way to his brother's shoulder, a poor attempt at showing sympathy for his self-made problems.

Damon sidesteps out from under Stefan's grasp, letting his hand fall awkwardly to his side.

"If you came here to show pity, save it. Besides," He clears his throat, his eyes never leaving the television screen, reliving every moment of the last month in 4K before turning to face the questioning green eyes. "you really can't be surprised things ended this way."

"Well…no, but you had said—"

"I say a lot of things, Stefan." Quickly dismissing his brother, Damon takes the remote out of Stefan's hand and powers down the television, not wanting to hear the media's guesses any longer. Looking over at the alarm clock on his table, he mentally questions if going back to sleep would be worth it; or if he should just blow off this prearranged meeting all together. Knowing the wrath of his father would be way worse a feeling than any hangover he could ever experience, he sullenly stalked to his closet, the feeling of his every move being over analyzed by his brother who would surely report back to daddy dearest. After a couple of moments in silence while looking for the correct black John Varvatos button up to wear, Damon sighs audibly, closing the door with a thud.

"You can go home now."

Stefan was now standing near the mahogany dresser, a tumbler of bourbon in his left hand, he was swirling the liquid around in the glass, watching it intently.

"Where are you going?" Stefan finally says, breaking his concentration on the amber liquid, either ignoring or not hearing his brother's previous remark.

"Not that it's any of your business," Stefan rolls his eyes at his brothers' comment, their lives anything but private, "but our lovely father apparently set up a network meeting for me today. Always thinking of ways to improve his company, that Giuseppe." Damon says with a harsh chuckle. Giuseppe and Damon have had a strained relationship since the birth of Stefan, Giuseppe finally getting the perfect son to mold; Damon was too rowdy a child to bend at will for his father's demands. His mother often described him as a free spirit and their similarities were uncanny, maybe that's why before her death Giuseppe was never as hard on him. With the death of his mother, 15-year-old Damon not knowing how to properly cope in the spotlight and having a famous father who suddenly couldn't look at him or his blue eyes, spiraled out of control; his wild child persona taking on a whole new meaning. Eventually his personality iced over, an ever-present wall up between himself and the outside world, the media playing it to make him out as the mysterious bad boy. But how could he be a mystery to the world that watched him grow up? Giuseppe tried hard to fix Damon's reputation, hiring PR agent after PR agent for damage control; from his underage drinking to today's present scandal, his father was always one step ahead ready to get it swept under the rug.

"Please." Stefan scoffs. "How would a network meeting help _him_? He's just trying to do what's best for you, Damon. I wish you could see that." Stefan thought their father could do no wrong, often taking his side for many things, causing a wedge between the brothers. Their close in age being the only thing close about the brothers. Damon still saw Stefan as his literal baby brother, one that needed protecting and needed to be smacked around a few times, not the 20-year-old in front of him. Damon may only be 25 but he still felt responsible for Stefan's path in life, feeling guilty for being a crap role model growing up.

"We both know he was counting on my marriage to Andie to secure a merger with her father's production company. And now that that's off the table…" His thought trails off, not needing to continue with his brothers' constant head nodding an apparent sign he wasn't fully listening.

"He didn't just care about her father's company." Stefan sighs, softly shaking his head at his brothers' preposterous comment. "Dad was happy you had finally found someone. He thought Andie was good for you…" Damon's harsh laugh tells Stefan to let it be, both topics of Andie and their father sensitive subjects. "I'll take that as my cue to go." Quickly downing his bourbon, Stefan places the cup gently onto the dresser.

With a curt head nod, the younger Salvatore makes his descent towards the still open bedroom door, his steps quick and effortless, regretting ever following his fathers request to come check up on his brother. Stefan's hands are stuffed awkwardly into his coat pockets, one foot already out the bedroom door towards the elevator, no plans on a formal goodbye between the two.

"We…uh…" Damon clears his throat, the words sounding hoarse and tired, catching Stefan's attention. "We really hadn't been happy for a while. Andie and I." He nods, his eyes staring off into the distance when his brothers head swivels around and his green eyes lock with his. "We were constantly bickering over the smallest things, in fact, bickering was the only times we really spoke to one another unless it was at an event; and even then, it was limited. We were different people when we got engaged a year ago, hell different people when we met at that shitty gala. She grew up, realized I didn't." He ran his hair through his already tousled hair, shrugging at the last remark. This was the most he'd said to Stefan in months, not knowing quite sure why he was sharing so much this late afternoon, positive this would just be relayed to his father the moment he stepped out the door. Maybe he was still drunk.

Not expecting a reply, he turned his back on his brother and resumed his previous routine, the wall already standing tall between his emotions and the outside world. Stefan says a quiet "yeah" and briskly walks to the elevator and immediately gets in when the doors open in the slightest, not being able to stand the silence any longer. With his younger brother gone, a sigh of relief escapes his soft lips and the tension leaves his shoulders. Not sure of his life's current journey, he fills another tumbler of bourbon and downs it back, needing the liquid courage for the remaining day.

• • •

Damon strolled into the towering glass executive building that housed Netflix, wondering to himself why he was even taking this meeting. Netflix wasn't a real network and he scoffed at the idea of whatever his father had arranged for him to do. Netflix actors _stayed_ Netflix actors, never venturing on to roles bigger than their original show's character and he was far beyond that; his three Oscars confirming this. He'd simply take this meeting as a courtesy to his father and then leave, declining the role offer. Giuseppe would have no reason to complain simply because of the minimum effort Damon was doing on his half.

The blondes at the glass front desk of the spacious, open waiting room gawked as Damon breezed by them, feeling no need to check in or determine what floor his meeting was exactly on. He hoped to take too long to find their meeting location causing it to be cancelled or at least postponed. His plans to wander the building interrupted when his named is called out behind him as he waits for the elevator, the voice sending a wave of irritation through his chest.

"I was hoping to catch you before the start of the meeting." His fathers hand heavily slaps down onto his right shoulder, cupping it tightly, preventing Damon from making any quick escapes.

"Caught me alright." Damon mumbles under his breath, the comment laced with a multitude of emotions towards his father, his blue eyes glancing down at the large hand placed on his shoulder.

"Now, Damon," Giuseppe starts as the Salvatore men step into the stainless-steel elevator together, his hand still clasped on his son's shoulder, "This meeting we're stepping into, it's more of a formal introduction than proposing a deal. I've already worked out the arrangement, they want you for the lead and we've graciously agreed."

"I'm sorry, you _what?"_

"You're going to be the lead in this new Netflix original. It's going to do wonders for your image, really sweep that mess you made with Andie under the rug. It's a little out of the realm you usually work in but—" The elevator dings open onto the 20th floor quicker than expected and Damon slides out as soon as there is a crack in the door, glad to be away from his father even if only for a moment. " _Damon!"_ Giuseppe hisses, given one last opportunity before they walk through the frosted glass doors to their meeting. "It would be in your best interest to say as little as possible, got it?" The threat looming over his son, one he is all too familiar with from years of constant negotiations and contracts. Not waiting a confirmation, Giuseppe pushes through the doors, a bold, confident smile spreading across his face. "And, please, would it kill you to smile."

Damon plasters on his most charming smile, usually the one he used to talk himself out of paying for bar tabs or to bring home girls and follows in behind his father into the large conference room. The walls are made up of just window panels, displaying the heart of the city perfectly, the glow of the sun making the room look warmer and welcoming despite how empty and impersonal it was. In its center was a large oval table, surrounded by a dozen or so chairs, enough for an entire staff but only two were taken by men. A pale, dirty-blonde fellow with dark blue-green eyes sat on the left, dressed in a basic white button up with the sleeves rolled up and black denim, appearing casual and calm, dominance and power exuding from him, setting Damon back a bit. The other male seemed tall and lanky from what Damon could see; his dark brown hair contrasting with the blonde's, his jaw more angular and square. The main difference being their wardrobe options, the brunette wearing a navy-blue suit jacket with a silver tie. Seeing this, the atmosphere feels thicker and full of dread, Damon wondering what mess he would be dragged into and associated with if these two polar opposites were in charge.

"Damon, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." The brunette's voice carries Damon out of his thoughts, momentarily taken back by the British accent before he softly shakes his head and reaches out to offer a hand to the brit's extended one. "I'm Elijah Mikaelson, one of the directors and producers on this show."

"Like wise."

"Not much of a talker this one, huh?" Another thick accented voice pipes in on the side of Damon. The blonde staring at him so intently through squinted, judge-y eyes made Damon's irritation grow to new highs. Instead of saying little like his father suggested, Damon takes a seat across from the dirty-blonde, mouth open and ready to fire.

"Well, Giuseppe here," he gestures back towards his father now coming to sit down as well, "suggested I say as little as possible this entire time, _probably_ so you guys don't recast me in a matter of five minutes; not that I would care." He says with a chuckle, his hands crossing behind his head and his foot coming up to rest on his opposite knee. Feeling the heat of his father's glares, Damon shows no signs of regret, his smirk staying present on his face.

"The comedian! He sometimes just rambles from nerves, ignore him." His father making up yet another lie for his shitty behavior. _Damon Salvatore? Nervous? Yeah, right._ He scoffed in his head, knowing Tweedledee and Tweedledum in front of him couldn't intimidate a fly.

"Now, now, nothing wrong with a little speaking of the mind every now and then." The blonde's lips curl up into an eerie Cheshire cat smile. He still had yet to introduce himself, keeping the air of mystery amongst the group thick or at least among Damon.

"And you are _who_ exactly?"

"Forgive my manners." He says half assed, hands cusped in front of him, showing no efforts of improving his manners. "I'm Niklaus Mikaelson, but you may call me Klaus. Niklaus is such a tired, dreadful name my father gave me." Damon simply nods his head, wanting to get this meeting on with so he can return to his penthouse to peacefully sleep until it was socially acceptable to bar crawl.

"So, Damon." Elijah clears his throat, wanting to focus the attention less on the growing tension in the room and more on the pre-production phases of their original show. "We, my brother and I, bought the rights to a book turned movie franchise that didn't do well when released but we see potential in it. Potential to make it the next _Stranger Things_ of Netflix originals. And with you as our lead, we are almost certain this show will flourish to what the fans have wanted for it since day one."

"I'm going to stop you right there." Damon unclasps his hands from behind his head, uncrossing his legs and leans forward in his seat, meeting in the middle of the table. "You have me signed on for a failed movie turned T.V. spin-off?!" His head snaps towards his father, the anger rolling like waves in his icy blue eyes.

"Damon." Giuseppe tightly says, only briefly turning towards his son's bewildered expression. "Hear them out. I think it's a perfect fit for you, actually."

Scoffing loudly and rolling his eyes, Damon begins to rise from the chair, having better priorities than this pathetic pitch meeting he was suffering through. His father's hand is crashing down upon his arm in seconds, instantly pushing him back into the chair and maintaining a firm grip.

"Something not appealing to you, _Mr. Salvator_ e?" His name rolls off of Klaus's tongue, his icy exterior and persona not deviating for a second.

"If it isn't obvious." He sneers. "I'm not working a show that I don't know the premise to besides for the fact that it's a box office flop."

"Oh, I'm sure you know all about the show actually!" Klaus says in a fake chipper voice, sounding overly joyous because of the accent. Reaching into his messenger bag on the floor, Klaus pulls out the pilot's script and slaps it down in front himself, sliding it over the tan table to the on looking blue eyes. "Besides, whether you like it or not, you're already committed to this show based on the deal your father and I made. It's been a _pleasure_ meeting with you today, Damon," He nods, quickly standing from his chair, a smug grin on the brit's face, "Mr. Salvatore."

Elijah follows suit and soon enough both men are out of the room, leaving Damon and his father to focus on the script laid out in front of them. In bold, black print starring up at him is the name of the show he would be working on with god knows who. His eyes quickly skim the cover, trying to ignore the show's title knowing he would externally groan if he read it. Towards the middle of the cover page read:

 _Episode #101_

 _Saw You in A Dream_

 _Written and Directed by Rebekah Mikaelson._

"What? Is this some family affair?" He rolls his eyes, noting the same last name in various spots of the cover.

"This family working to make this show is worth millions and _this_ show they're producing is already being buzzed about by fans and all. This is the place to be son, trust me. Would I ever steer you wrong?"

Staring down at the stacked script on the counter, he silently chuckles to himself at his father's question, knowing once again this was the wrong path. " _Surely in a month's time this show will run out of money before pre-production is over and Giuseppe will be blaming me for the choice."_ He thought quietly to himself before rising from his chair, script gripping in his right hand.

Without another word to his father, he briskly walks through the wide, open doors and back towards the elevator. Once inside the small stainless square, he leans back against the wall, sighing happily to be out of that office space. While it was massive and open, he felt crammed in that room, more and more being piled on top of him by others. Looking down at his clutched hands, the off-white printer papers labeled with everything from the cover page to the last scene of the episode being crushed from his hold on them. He quickly opens the pages back up and smooths out any signs of frustration or anger. The elevator dings when he reaches the ground level and he is met with a surprised pair of eyes as the doors slide open.

"Rushing off to go day drink some more, champ?" Klaus chuckles as Damon weaves by him, only to be stopped when his arm is grabbed by the brit.

"Do you mind?" He shakes his arm loose from Klaus's grip, smoothing over the black fabric on his arm. "It's John Varvatos." He retorts, turning back around and walking towards the exit, not caring that yet another person in the business knew he was an avid drinker. Seeing his driver parked right in front of the corporate building, he gracefully walks to the now open car door, the shuttering of cameras now at full speed. Behind him is Klaus, just exiting the building, mouth open ready to say whatever it was, his lips curling up into a smirk.

"And Damon?" He calls out towards the unsuspecting, tousled jet-black haired actor. "We are having an open call for the female lead in the upcoming months, it would be best if—" Never turning around to hear the rest of Klaus's words, Damon quickly slams the range rover's door shut muffling the sound of the paparazzi and crowd gathering. Groaning loudly in the backseat, he throws the script across the leather as his driver pulls off. The golden hour light streams through the tinted car windows and large windshield, casting a spotlight on the eschewed stack of papers, forcing Damon's eyes to be drawn to it. Wandering up the page towards the top, the title finally catches his eye:

 _Netflix Original:_

 _The Vampire Academy_

Curiosity briefly becomes the best of him, pulling out his phone ready to dive into his work and research this story before he shakes his head and flips the script face down on the seat. Opening up his messages, he types a quick straight to the point text to his father:

 _Damon: Really?! A vampire show? Of all things, you get me casted in a damn supernatural show, as if there hasn't been a million of them!_

Hitting send he slides his phone back into his pant pocket, wanting nothing more than a nice, refreshing glass of scotch and to maybe find a drinking buddy one of these days. Damon refused to work on cliché supernatural anything, wanting to do roles that could be relatable and hard hitting, stuff that earned him countless nominations, not teen garbage. He debates on calling Andie—who wouldn't pick up anyway—but isn't drunk enough to have an excuse for calling, so for now, going back to his empty apartment alone to sit in somber would have to suffice. Who knew how lonely the lives of the rich and famous could be?

* * *

Wanted to quickly mention down here after the jump (as not to spoil) that this is not directly a crossover between TVD and TVA. I sat forever trying to think of a show concept and I was reluctant to even do vampires because I wanted to stray from the show/books, however as I was staring at my bookshelf hoping for an idea(lol), my eyes glanced as the TVA book and thought "hm, Damon kind of reminds me of Dimitri" and then it just hit me! After a long discussion with an online friend she insisted I do this route, so here we are! Damon and any other future characters to be involved ( ;) ) will still maintain their normal character traits and such, they will just be portraying x or y for the "filming" portions, the real characters from TVA will not exist in this story if that makes sense.

Anyway, I really hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Please follow, favorite, review, etc! :)


	4. Be Alright

I don't have an excuse for how long this chapter took to publish, or the fact that it's not as long as the previous 3. I went from having a horrible reaction to my lash extensions that forced me to remove them all, to food poisoning/flu honestly still not sure which one lol to just recently getting over whatever horrible cough/cold I've had all while working so I just haven't been up to writing or doing much these last few weeks besides for resting when I can. And of course the holidays in retail means little rest so that's how I've been doing lol, anyway enough of an update, sorry for the longest delay, I promise to stop getting sick usually my immune system is better than this! I'm excited for you all to see the next few chapters. Enjoy xx

* * *

 **PRESENT DAY**

A throat cleared bringing Elena from her thoughts to the cold reality in the backseat of the yellow cab. It had begun to lightly rain, drops now scattered across the window she had been gazing out of. Blinking to focus her vision, she thought how funny it was at the sudden shift in the weather and how the unpredictability was strikingly similar to his recent behavior before turning to face the cab driver growing impatient with her. The cab still being parked not far from the emergency exit she snuck out of, the foolish hopeless romantic in her hoped to see him burst through the door with that "baby, I'm right here" smile and follow her, to fight for her.

"Um," she sniffled, her brown eyes two giant glassy orbs meeting the driver's tired hazel pair, "The Beverly West on Club View Drive." Not sure why she should head home other than to quickly pack a few of her belongings, she mutters the buildings name anyway.

The cab pulls away from the curb, taking backroads and avoiding the freeway that would be backed with traffic from the rerouted and blocked off boulevard near the Staples Center. Picking up one of the scattered tabloid magazines strewn across the backseat of the cab, hoping to distract herself from powering on her phone, Elena's eyes land on the bottom corner of the cover. She typically wouldn't pick up, let alone give her attention to a cheap magazine like this now that she often felt the blunt end of the articles. An on-set photo of Damon and her that he snapped of the two stares back up at Elena, captioned with an old, out of context quote, _"I could spend forever with her."_ The magazine being dated from more than couple months back causes a twinge of pain to surge through her chest before she subconsciously flips to the pages discussing her relationship. More photos of the faux happy couple fill the two pages, dialogue and passages placed strategically around photos and before she gives herself the chance to linger on longer than she should, she quickly closes the gossip mag and throws it across the seat, watching it slide on the tattered leather to the floor of the cab, softly sighing to herself. She could go back to every laugh, but she didn't want to go there anymore.

"Beverly West." The cab driver says stiffly, the awkwardness growing between the star on the verge of a breakdown and himself. Elena hadn't even noticed how quickly the ride passed, or the silent tears that had slid down her face in the meanwhile; probably the result of seeing Damon's empty promise of forever quote. Paying the driver with a hundred and not waiting for the change out of guilt for being such a sucky patron, she slides across the seat and books it out of the back of the cab, regretting not having asked to be dropped at the back of the building for the private entrance. Holding her dress up off the growing wet pavement in one hand and her clutch in the air, she begins her short trek towards the doors. Elena brings the clutch filled hand up to cover her eyes and darts towards the buildings front door being held open for her by the doorman. Not bothering to really look at her surroundings or see if any paparazzi were stationed at her building, she takes large, fast paced steps—as fast as she can manage in her heels—until she lands under the buildings awning. Thankful to be out from under the now heavy, thick raindrops falling, her clutch dropping from her face to reveal her puffy, red eyes that land on the old, kind brown pair of her usual doorman.

"Good evening, Miss Gilbert. You're back earlier than expected tonight." He observes with a soft smile, curtly nodding towards her as he steps aside, the door now slowly shutting the world behind her.

* * *

 **3 YEARS AGO**

The high noon sun shined through the girl's apartment as Elena sat cross-legged on the couch, Mac on her lap opened up to several job posting sites, her hair in a high bun, soft ringlets of caramel brown hair falling and framing her small jaw, a steaming cup of tea placed on the coffee table in front of her; not on a coaster which was sure to drive Caroline crazy if she saw. Having already been in the city with Caroline for a few weeks, Elena was struggling to find a job and was beginning to run low on money. Even with Caroline's dad paying for most of their rent, the leftover was still a decent amount split between the two friends and with no income and no sense of a budget the girls were struggling even if they wouldn't admit it. Caroline always had the option to phone a parent and ask for money, but Elena asking her aunt for money was out of the question. Jenna hadn't wanted Elena to move so far away and was constantly worried for her niece, so the moment Elena tells her she needs help, an "I told you so" is bound to slip from her aunt's mouth.

The job hunting was going horribly for her. Not knowing what she wanted to do made her decisions even more difficult, but she wanted to make it seem like more of a progressive afternoon than it was before Caroline returned home so she began to look at retail and restaurant openings. Another hour passed by as Elena touched up her resume and submitted to the local shops and diners in walking distance, feeling somewhat accomplished after pressing apply on the 10th application. The growing growl in her stomach made her question where her friend could be as the time changed on her computer to quarter of three. The door opening at the mere thought proved just how in sync these girls were and Elena's head turned to find the blonde strolling in with Tyler, her head thrown back in a laugh like a child. The pair had grown very close since their initial move-in, not quite dating but spending a good amount of their free time together. Caroline insisting to Elena she couldn't see herself dating the boy but didn't mean she couldn't still have some fun in the meantime; Elena knew her best friend like the back of her hand however, and knowing Caroline meant knowing how attached she can get to people even when she tried her best not to.

"You can't be serious!" Caroline's already high voice hits another octave at her exclamation, her hand reaching out to shove Tyler slightly. Her blue eyes fall onto the back of her friend's head and they instantly lighten up. "Elena! Listen to this!" Elena's bun slightly wavers, and more strands fall loose as her head swivels back towards the door it was once on, not having wanted to intrude on their moment before. "So, Tyler," she gestures towards the sun-kissed, toned brunette before continuing, "Was trying to claim that in high school, Matt and him for their senior prank stole the principal's car and he got pulled over for speeding in it and they were able to just _walk away,_ and I was like 'There's no way! You'd be in jail!'"

Not sure of when or if her input was really needed, Elena just smiled and nodded as her friend rambled on about some story that was for sure an attempt to impress the blonde. This story involving Matt, who seemed extremely introverted and levelheaded, didn't sound all that legitimate to Elena, but she kept those thoughts to herself. She couldn't judge Matt's past or present actions or pretend she knows him when she does her best to avoid most alone time with him.

"We didn't go to jail because my dad was the Mayor of this small town! Like I told you! My dad couldn't have scandals ruining any chances of reelection!" Tyler says, scoffing on the last line while nudging her shoulder with his. His comment making him sound like a spoiled, rich kid; maybe he _was_ actually a match for Caroline after all. The blonde rolls her sparkling blue eyes at him before pushing past him towards the couch her best friend was perched on, falling graciously next to her. He trails along not far behind her, occasionally his eyes falling onto the soft swaying of her hips as she walked away.

Caroline slowly slides down on the soft fabric, her head falling lightly onto Elena's open shoulder and sighs contently, happiness radiating off of her in waves, her usual pale skin now having a soft sun kissed glow. Elena peaks down at her friend only to be met with her friend's wide gaze.

"How's the job search going? Or have you decided to find a millionaire to snag like I suggested?"

"Care," she rolls her eyes, but a smile breaks out on her face, "I don't think a millionaire could solve all my problems."

"No, but he could definitely relieve _some_ stress!" The blonde smirks, knowing her comment wouldn't go unnoticed. Elena shoves her off her shoulder, she never understood Caroline's constant gutter mind, being content as a single, off the market woman.

"Anyway," She bites back the remark, wanting to switch gears before the topic of her sex life, or lack of, was discussed between the three. "I applied to a few places. They might not be amazing jobs, but," She pauses, reaching for the lukewarm tea and bringing the rim to her lips. "it'll just be nice to get out of the apartment and afford more than ramen!" She chuckles before taking a large sip of the black tea.

"You know," Tyler clears his throat causing Elena and Caroline to finally acknowledge his presence once again. It wasn't his fault, many fell victim to being white noise when the girls were together, it's often why they were considered cliquey and snobby throughout their four years at Mystic Falls High; they were both far from that, but the two girls were just inseparable, practically conjoined at the hip. No one held a candle to the two, not even a pretty boy. "The restaurant Matt buses at is looking for a new bartender. I could tell him to put in a word for you and—"

"That won't be necessary, Tyler." Elena promptly cuts him off, preferring to not work with their downstairs neighbor. "Besides, I've never bartended a day in my life!"

"I'm sure you'd be a quick learner. I've seen you make drinks for us on multiple occasions. How hard could it be."

"Give it a shot, Lena!" Caroline eggs on, the pair cornering her into the topic.

"I'll sleep on it."

• • •

A week passed by with no luck on the job end for Elena. Not a single place had reached out to her and disappointment was beginning to settle deep within her chest. _That job at the bar was sounding more and more appeasing._ Without much effort or even an application, the owner of the bar Matt worked at had offered Elena a position as a part time bartender on nights and weekends, but she respectfully declined, feeling she had only gotten the job because of Matt's crush on her. She had no experience or training and it didn't make sense to hire her over someone who was more qualified, however the owner said the job would still be there for her if she wanted it.

Walking through the partially empty campus, Elena made her way towards Caroline's favorite café to meet her for a late lunch. The air was crisp and cool, but nowhere near the typical autumn weather Virginia typically experiences this time of year. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket and she quickly retrieved it expecting an impatient Care only to see a notification from Jenna asking her how her first month has been and if she's met any celebrities yet. _Oh, Jenna!_ Pushing through the café's glass door, she slides her phone back into her pocket, mentally noting to call Jenna later and searches the room for her blonde friend. Fall and Halloween décor are littered among the student ran café.

"Elena! Over here!" Her friend waved her long arm rapidly from the back of the tiny café, curious glances shooting up from their textbooks and conversations towards the girl. With exam season was slowly approaching the looks Caroline was receiving were not appreciative.

"Hey Care." Elena softly says as she slides into the empty seat across from her friend.

"So," Caroline says with a mouth full of a seasonal danish, "I've had like, the _worst_ day. One of my scene performances for class got moved up so I was late for it and my partner never even bothered to tell me the time changed! _Thankfully_ , I've already managed to charm Professor Maxfield since the first day. He thinks I have real potential, Lena! Which, he's not wrong!"

Elena rolls her eyes and sneaks a piece of Caroline's danish while her friend talks, not wanting to interrupt her. Her best friend seemed to overshadow her even when it wasn't intentional and being the nice person Elena was, she never really tried to stop it; even when she wanted to share things and talk more, she enjoyed hearing about her friend's lives. She was just that kind of person.

"You always seem to have these professors wrapped around your fingers."

"What can I say!" The blonde shrugs casually, her curls falling behind her shoulders.

"I think I'm gonna have to work at the bar with Matt." Elena says in one breath, wanting to switch subjects before Caroline droned on about herself for longer. Her friend's shoulders sagged as the words flew out of her mouth, her blue eyes shining with comfort towards the chocolate brown ones.

"No luck huh?" Shaking her soft brown waves in reply, Caroline clicks her tongue before finishing off what was left of her danish, realizing now that her friend had eaten some. "It won't be that bad…working with Matt. He's a great guy Elena, and he's not too bad on the eyes."

"I know," She sighs heavily, guilt rising in her chest, "Matt's been so nice to us and so helpful. I just want us to stay friends and it's easier to keep a distance than to work with him." Before she can add to her thought or Caroline can chime in, a waiter comes over to ask if they'd like anything else and both girls place orders for to-go iced coffees. Not long after they're out the door, their afternoon pick-me-up's in hand, strolling aimlessly around to pass time, the talk of Matt and her possible new job put to rest.

A disgruntled Caroline pulls Elena to a halt as she begins to dig through her shoulder bag for who knows what, pens and miscellaneous items beginning to topple out of the side. The blonde is mumbling under her breath about being an airhead while her hand slams around the bottom of her deep, blush pink bag. Elena chuckles to herself, knowing Caroline Forbes's bags were similar to one of Mary Poppins's, large and full of the unknown.

"I think I left my phone back in my stage class, come with me to go get it?" Her annoyance levels peaking at an all-time high as she has to take the long walk back to the performing arts building.

"Are you sure it's not at the café? We can go—"

"I last used it in class to text you when to meet. It has to be there. I only pulled out the scene I have to study in the café while I was waiting for you." Her friend pleads, insisting she left it back in the classroom.

"Ok, ok. We'll go find it."

The pair dart off towards the west side of the expansive UCLA campus, Elena trying to keep up with her friend's long legs and quick pace. Feeling slightly out of breath, she made a note to start working out again now that she had an abundant amount of free time. Before long the girls were strolling into a very empty room, the lights no longer being on, but streams of sunlight still shined through the large windows.

"Can you call it?"

Elena nods her head towards her friends darting blue eyes as she wanders the medium sized room before her eyes land on the phone in her hand typing in her familiar passcode and dialing the contact labeled "Care" with every pink heart emoji there was to be found. Towards the front of the room a phone begins to buzz to life against the floor, the vibrations causing it to slide under a chair.

"Oh, thank god!" Caroline lets out a content sigh as she rushes towards the device and picks it up as Elena ends the call. The blondes phone was filled with several texts from Tyler and one from her dad. "Ok, we can go!" She chirped, her bubbly self back to normal.

"One of these days Care you're really gonna lose that thing, you know." She teased as she linked arms with her friend and lead her towards the exit, Caroline's grip on her phone getting tighter at the thought.

"Miss Forbes." A voice spoke in the hallway as the girls left the empty room. An older, blonde gentleman greets her with a firm smile, his eyes questioning why she was back almost an hour after class ended. "I know you enjoy your craft, but you must take a break at some time."

"Professor Maxfield!" Caroline's voice sings out. "I was just grabbing my phone I left in the room."

"Caroline? Taking a break? You must not know her that well." Elena retorts at the same time Caroline is speaking, both pairs of blue eyes now focused on her; one looking amused and one trying to shoot daggers at her.

"And this is?"

"My friend, Elena." She dismissively says.

"Well, Elena, I can agree with you. Your friend certainly does not know the meaning of a break. If she's not in my office hours or class, she's trying out for these auditions she finds on and off campus." He chuckles.

"That's Caroline for you!" Elena holds firm as Caroline tries to tug her back towards the parking lot entrance.

"Speaking of auditions, Caroline, I know you haven't been in Los Angeles long and I don't typically send my new students for these sorts of things, but I got word of an open call next month for a television show of some sort and I'd really like to see you try out. I haven't known you long, and like I said I don't usually tell my new students this, _but_ you have such promising talent and come with a long list of recommendations from your previous school and shows, I think you might have a chance at it."

Caroline's eyes light up more and more as Maxfield finishes his sentence, the reels in her mind already spinning at the possibility of auditioning for a network show. Her head is nodding faster than imagined, the yes's and talks of exchanging information in an email flying around Elena. Without a goodbye, Maxfield adjusts the bag on his shoulder and walks pasts the girls, iPhone in hand most likely forwarding Caroline the promised details already. Not taking a moment longer, Caroline lets out a loud squeal in the otherwise silent hallway, gripping her friend's hand tightly.

"Oh. My. God." The blonde's voice has hit a new octave as she bounces up and down excitedly, refreshing her school email every second. Sliding her hand out of her death grip, Elena can't help but grin ear to ear at how happy her friend was. "I'm going to audition for a T.V. show, Lena!"

"How about we go back to the apartment, change and go out for drinks to celebrate?" Throwing her arm around Caroline's shoulders, the girls speed walk across campus towards the Chevy Cruze they shared, giddiness bubbling between the friends.

"You have to come with me, Lena! To the audition! I want you to be there with me, for this moment."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else Care." Elena smiles widely at her best friend as the pair get into the car and speed off towards their home. Caroline's head is bobbing animatedly as she talks about her future and what this could mean for her, her eyes never leaving the road. Elena's focus begins to shift from being happy to wondering when the pieces of her life will finally click into place like they seemingly are for her best friend, her vision glazed over on the blonde's sharp side profile. Deciding she needed to put more effort into finding out what she wanted to do with life, she started with simply texting Matt asking if the bartending position was still available. Caroline worked hard for what she's wanted, and Elena would have to first start being able to have a livable income before she could achieve whatever it was she planned to do with life.

The golden hour sun was beaming strongly, allowing amber flecks to sparkle through Elena's brown eyes, warming her from the inside out. The chime of her phone telling her all she needed to know, Elena finally felt some sort of peace. The job might not be glamourous or permanent, but it was a new start, and that's what this whole move for Elena was—a brand new start.

* * *

Like I said, on the shorter side compared to the previous three. Had to get back into the swing of this after just casually adding to it on days I wasn't feel so bleh, but I'm back and feeling inspired and excited. Follow, review, tell your friends, message me, whatever you feel like doing! Also anyone watching Legacies? I don't not hate it so far, but it's no TVD.


	5. Shirtsleeves

Hello hello hello! Merry (late) Christmas/Happy Holidays! Hope everyone has enjoyed their time with their families and friends this holiday season! I will just keep this brief, as my gift to you all is a multi-chapter update! Check out the next 2 chapters, posted live at the same time! Binge them both now, or save one for later, but don't worry, more is on the way!

* * *

 **PRESENT**

Damon's heart thumped loudly in his chest as the mixture of bourbon and champagne finally settled deep in his stomach, sending the occasion jolt to his head, momentarily clouding his lacking judgement. The brunette's hand tightly entwined in his as she leads them quickly through the dwindling crowd still in the lobby of the center. Not drunk enough, his thoughts nagged at the back of his mind telling him she was all wrong for him; she'd always been all wrong for him, but he always made the wrong choices and rather than face the consequences, he ignored them.

"Damon!" The shrill voice of his father yelled from behind the pair, causing eyes to dart towards the couple that wasn't him and Elena. Giuseppe was never fond of Damon's flings, but he was especially not fond of this one and once tried to put an end to it before it had even started. A crowd began to form around the two as prying low list celebrities and press tried to determine who he was with and where his original date was. Without a second guess his grip tightens on Katherine's and pulls her through the crowd, shoving when needed towards the exit, stepping out into the downpour of rain that fell. The crowd still followed and was gathering more closely around the pair, anxiety bubbling and brewing in the pit of his chest. With the nausea overwhelming his senses he almost hadn't heard Katherine's voice break through the loud silence pitching in his ears.

"Aren't you going to give me your jacket?" Her brown curls now becoming matted and soaked from the heavy drops, her red lips in a pout, her hand still gripped in his. Her question was more of a demand, Katherine always made sure to get what she wanted. While the rain was coming down thick and heavy, it was far from cold, the temperature in Los Angeles rarely hitting below a cool 65 degrees on rainy days—this not even being considered a traditional rain day since it started so suddenly, and it was a muggy 75 degrees.

His eyes bounced from hers to their entangled hands and back, occasionally glancing at the growing crowd where his father was failing to push through towards his son and Damon only knew the one thing he could do: run. Katherine being distracted by the attention she loved and craved so deeply by whoever would give it and the pressing questions she would gladly answer if that meant she could climb the social ladder, Damon slips from her grips and slinks back before completely bolting from the area. The yells of Katherine's soprano voice float behind him and her brown eyes wide with fake shock, but he doesn't dare look back, not even when he feels the heavy weight of his father's arm try to grab him. Whether it was the cold rain soaking him or the informal, very public introduction of Katherine being in his life, he felt more sober than he had in weeks; like the wool that was covering his eyes had been lifted and he began to wonder just how long he let his life slip away. Thoughts swirl around his head crashing into one another loudly. Being the very self-absorbed star that the media made him out to be from the start, the false persona took on a real life of its own and left Damon a shell of his former self; the former self that had momentary breakthroughs and reappearances these last three years, a self he hadn't seen in himself since his mother's death.

Letting his feet carry him away, he focused his thoughts on the last few months and his endless nights of drinking and pain. He knew he had pushed her away, several times in fact over the course of their relationship, he just hadn't ever thought she'd ever follow through and leave one day; the thought never fazed him. It wasn't that he intentionally wanted her out of his life, at least not in the beginning. They were just in a funny place, he didn't have any other way to explain it to outsiders. Even when she wasn't with him, she was _with him_. He's forcibly stopped when he slams into a hard chest, hands coming up to meet his arms, broken from his thoughts.

"Dad's been looking for you!"

"Stefan," He panted, his eyes locking with the green of his younger brother's questioning eyes, blurry blonde curls peaking in the distance behind him. "I've—" Pausing to shake his head he sidesteps out of his brother's grip, holding back his next thought. "Never mind." Turning away, he shoves his brother aside and quickly leaves Stefan looking lost as he hops in the first available cab not caring that there was someone trying to hail that same ride.

"Get me the hell away from here!" He barks and throws $200 at the driver. These events were never made for him anyway he thought as he loosened his tie.

* * *

 **3 YEARS AGO**

Damon is pushed forward with a slight nudge in the overcrowded Starbucks, courtesy of his younger brother's fondness of chain brands and need for morning pick-me-ups. Glancing to his side he's met with the persistent glare from Stefan, his brooding personality seeping out. Despite a strained relationship, the pair was often spotted together; as much as they'd like to deny it, something as small as a morning coffee run or HIIT class was looked forward to by the brothers. The simplicity of the only normal constant in their lives was refreshing.

"You know, many will be thrilled to be in my presence, Stefan."

"The only people thrilled to be in your presence are the dates you manage to bring home on the daily, brother." He chuckles while rolling his eyes towards the pale side profile of his older sibling. His sharp jawline was relaxed, freshly shaven and smooth, not an imperfection in site. Some might even believe he's had work done, given all the money he's made throughout his career, but good genes ran in the family; it's what made the Salvatore men so desirable. Stefan himself was sporting a slight beard, an uncommon feature on the Salvatore males, only attempting to grow one out for a role. After finally placing their orders and moving towards the pick-up end of the counter, Damon's phone vibrates in his jacket pocket, a reminder lighting up his dimly lit screen that his father was expecting to see him this afternoon.

"So…" He paused, eyes still staring at the now black phone screen, the white boxed reminder still burning in his retinas against the dark background. "What's with the beard?" He slides the phone away, shrugging the leather bomber forward to readjust it's fit.

"Dad suggested I grow it out for some role he has lined up for me. Says it'll make me seem more rough and _edgy_." Stefan's emphasis on edgy has both men chuckling softly to themselves, knowing well enough Stefan could never pull off an edgy look. He was too clean cut, too boy-next-door.

"Don't think the light stubble is going to help that, brother!" Damon's fist flies out and lightly punches his brother's forearm before reaching for the coffee the barista was holding out for him. She smiled brightly at him, her blonde hair up in a high ponytail, her blue eyes shining towards his, however he simply brushed her off. With him not being drunk and the blonde not being Andie he just didn't care.

"Hey! I can be edgy!" Stefan shoves his brother and quickly grabs his coffee, bringing the hot cup to his lips and taking a large sip, wincing slightly from the hot liquid as it sloshes in his mouth and down his throat. The pair stroll out the door, the loud noise of the bustling city warming to life as more begin to start their day. "You never did tell me what that pitch meeting was about last week."

"For good reason." Damon scoffs. "Dad's signed me up for some bogus Netflix show that's bound to sink before it starts." The car door on the rover is opened by their driver and Damon quickly steps in, his brother following suit before paparazzi find their location and swarm. "He's trying to sabotage my career, I think."

"That's funny," Stefan's lost in thought as he stares aimlessly at the passing palm trees, his coffee cup resting on his knee. "Dad said it was a Netflix show lined up for me as well. Something about vampires, it sounded interesting from what I read in the script." Hearing Damon groan audibly, Stefan quickly turns to face his brother's narrowing blue eyes, his hand running down his pale face in exasperation.

"Don't tell me we're working on the same damn show." He curses under his breath before dramatically pulling his phone out, ready to dial his father and give him an ear full. It was one thing to try to make your sons seem like normal, functioning brothers, it was another to force the two to work together; the siblings fought more than anyone they knew, often pushing each other's limits on purpose. They were both too hot headed to be in the same studio for more than 8 hours a day. Damon also preferred his own spotlight, not wanting to be overlooked by the posterchild that was Stefan; having him on the same show would prove difficult for that. It was one of the reasons the brothers never worked together.

Before he can even register it, Stefan is slipping the iPhone out of his brother's hand and into his back, jean pocket trying to prevent—or at least delay—whatever blow up that was bound to happen from this discovery.

"Now, Damon—"

"Give me my damn phone back, Stefan." He grunts, taking a large gulp of his now lukewarm coffee.

"—I didn't know it was the same show you signed on for when I agreed to meet with dad the other day to discuss. I think it's a great opportunity and Netflix is huge—"

"I don't care!" He growls, frustration rolling off of him in waves. "I don't care if you _didn't know_." Damon's hands flying up to do air quotes, "He did this on purpose to me. I'm being punished for ending my engagement!"

"Have you even read the script? It's actually pretty good, I don't see why you won't like it." Earning a boasting laugh out of Damon.

"You can't be serious, Stefan! You think this teeny-bop drama is…good?!"

"You're just pissed because it's breaking our agreement not to work together. Dad isn't punishing you, stop being dramatic."

"No, Stefan, I'm pissed because you can't seem to see how controlling Giuseppe really is! What other reason does he have to book us for the same show!"

"I'm not having this argument with you." Stefan huffs, ignoring Damon calling their father by his name, finishing the last of his coffee while the car pulls up to the back entrance of his apartment. "I'll just tell dad the role isn't for me, that's the end of it, okay?"

"Don't be stupid." Damon spats as his brother's door opens and Stefan slinks out of the car, throwing Damon's phone on the seat, letting the door close behind him without another word. Reaching for his phone, he quickly unlocks the device, returning it to the previous screen showing Giuseppe's contact, his thumb hovering over the dial button before sighing out of frustration and swiping away on the contacts app. Even with how much Damon despised his father he wouldn't let Stefan ruin a job for himself. Damon knew Stefan could easily win over their father's approval for wishing to not take part in this Netflix show, but the repercussions would fall onto the elder brother's shoulders and he was already feeling too weighed down by his failed engagement to add more.

• • •

The rest of his morning seemed to pass with the blink of an eye, his appointed publicist arranging interviews and shoots for the upcoming months, the buzz around his role in _The Vampire Academy_ already sparking interest. Wanting nothing more than to have been able to just get a jog in, Damon was bogged down with tasks from Giuseppe—requests to do this, get that and meet this person here. And to top it all off, he now had to meet with the man himself. At least he was able to do one enjoyable thing today, and that was drive his prized possession, a light blue 1969 Chevy Camaro; he had to often chauffer around more than he'd like to admit because of his fame so the days he was able to drive out of the city and away from the crowds, even if it was to visit his father, he enjoyed. His hands clutched the hard, rubber steering wheel as he turned down the long, winding driveway towards the towering white mansion his father called home. He would just be in and out of whatever his father had planned for him he decided as the car rolled to a stop behind one of Giuseppe's many vintage cars, not noticing the bright red Porsche parked at the opposite end.

Stepping out of his car in his father's large, circular drive he was met with a cobblestone walkway towards the expansive front doors made from the finest chestnut wood. Both doors swing open as he approaches the alcove, his father's assistant curtly greeting him as Damon briskly steps by him without as much as a notice. Giuseppe lived a lavish life and flaunted it as much as possible, the opening of the foyer complete with a double grand stairway, the stairs glistening marble shining brightly under the large, center chandelier; the house a far cry from the renovated boarding house passed down in the family that they occasionally vacationed in. Damon made a quick beeline for the den that was straight ahead, knowing there was bound to be a liquor cart stocked with the finest of bourbon. The spacious living room was filled with woods and deep shades, a traditional fireplace with a mantle decorated with family pictures centers the room, two rust colored couches face across from one another sitting atop a $3,000 rug. A typical guest may stare in awe as they glance around the room, walls lined with old knickknacks and collectible books, but Damon's eyes stare bored into the unlit fireplace, not wanting to reminisce on childhood memories or fondness as he clutches a crystal tumbler of bourbon.

"Damon." A throat clears behind him causing his grip around the small glass to tighten. Any tighter and it might shatter. Only looking slightly over his shoulder, he's met with the silhouette of his father standing in the entrance to the room. Not acknowledging his presence, Damon sips at the amber liquid as his eyes lock on a happy photo of him running in the backyard with his mother from his childhood, he was about five or six years old in it. The liquid glides down his throat and he let out a small sigh, his vision blurring as he stares for a minute too long at the smiling face of his mother. God, he missed her. The front door slams closed once again, and the slight tap of footsteps grows louder as the guest makes their way towards the den, causing Damon to sharply turn on his heels out of curiosity; his father hadn't mentioned anyone else would be involved. There he's met with the brightly lit eyes of his younger brother.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting, I was taking a call from Klaus in the car to thank him for the role." Stefan mumbles.

"Nonsense, son! No need to apologize, your brother just arrived…late I may add." Giuseppe tsks loudly, his eyes showing disapproval towards his eldest son and his early afternoon bourbon.

" _I_ was on time, you just failed to come find me faster." Damon twirls the almost empty glass in his dominant hand, the liquid sloshing around but never rising high enough to accidentally spill onto Giuseppe's prized rug. "You failed to tell me Stefan would be here."

"He's your brother, Damon." Giuseppe dismisses Damon's remark and ushers Stefan to make his way towards the couches, following slowly behind. "Now, the Mikaelson's would like both of you to attend the castings and screen tests for the female leads. I've told them if both your schedules permit that you would both _surely enjoy_ sitting in for these calls." Giuseppe takes a seat on the armrest of one of the sofas, his hands clasped together tightly, the wedding ring he didn't go a day without dimly shining.

"I think that's a great idea."

"I'm busy." Both brothers chime in at the same time, their thoughts overlapping and crashing into one another. Stefan sitting across from their father glares up at his brother, burning holes into his profile.

"Damon," Their father pauses. "I've had the pleasure of checking your schedule already, yours and your brothers actually. Me telling the Mikaelson's that was just to let them believe you are both in high demands, to create more of an…allure. You'll both be going to these calls, it's already been arranged with your publicists. The dates have already been finalized as of today and I will graciously let them know you're both available!"

"So, not only are you controlling my career, but now you're controlling my time too?" Damon scoffs, turning to make his way back to the cart holding the few bottles of alcohol Giuseppe only had out for guests. He rolls his eyes noting it was the cheaper liquor; not that a $200 bottle of bourbon was cheap, Giuseppe still had to play into the flashiness of his wealth, but his finer liquors were kept locked away in the underground cellar.

"Can't you get through one conversation without all the accusations for once?" Stefan stands from his spot on the couch and makes his way towards his fuming brother. If this was a cartoon, Damon's skin would've been red as a tomato with steam coming from his ears at Stefan's comment.

"It's only accusations if it's false, brother." Rolling his eyes at Damon, Stefan grabs the filled glass from his brother's hand and quickly downs the honey colored liquid in a flash before slamming the glass back down onto the metal tray. Meanwhile, Giuseppe is tapping away on his phone, ignoring his eldest son's minor but usual tantrum. Suddenly both the brother's phones ping to life with the forwarded calls date and times, courtesy of their father. Damon angrily taps his four-digit passcode into his device and clicks the email CC'd to him.

 _To:_ _Giuseppe Salvatore_

 _CC:_ _Damon Salvatore_ _,_ _Stefan Salvatore_

 _From:_ _Klaus Mikaelson_

 _Subject: TVA Female Leads Casting_

 _We are holding open calls for the two-main female leads and would like both Salvatore brothers to be in attendance. Please make sure they are available all day on November 15_ _th_ _and 16_ _th_ _. Both call days start at 10AM sharp and will be held at the convention center Downtown. The screen tests for the potential leads will be determined at a later date._

 _Klaus._

The email short and to the point with Klaus's impersonal signature at the bottom takes Damon's annoyance to a new level. He never signed on for any of this and like hell if he was going to be a puppet for some douche producer.

"This email says these are all day events! What casting is an all-day event?"

"Stop questioning everything, Damon. Just show up, on time and presentable, and there won't be any issues." Giuseppe slides his phone into the inner pocket of his heather gray blazer before standing and coming up behind his two sons, clapping a hand on each of their backs. "I will admit, I am surprised you haven't bickered about your brother starring in this as well." He chuckles.

"Do I really have a choice?" Damon mutters under his breath, trying to slide out from his father's hold.

"Damon and I actually spoke, and I do—" Stefan starts before he is cut off by Damon.

"And I think it's great Stef and I are finally working on a project together!" Damon nudges his brother roughly, his elbow digging into Stefan's ribcage, a sign to be quiet. Now was _not_ the time for Stefan to try to play martyr. Stefan looks over at Damon, baffled by his comment but staying mute.

"Wonderful! This is exactly the kind of energy you boys need for your image! We'll have to make sure during press tours you two are scheduled together so the media can see just how well the Salvatore brothers get along." Rolling his eyes, Damon gives a tight smile and head nod at his father, Stefan following suit. No use in fighting back in this moment, Damon simply bottled up his anger for another day and tolerated the somewhat family moment.

"Are we done here? I would love to get in some time at the gym before the day's over. Not all of us stay in shape on the bunny diet." He slips out a joke about Stefan's latest fad diet, earning a seemingly playful but impactful punch from his brother.

"Yes, yes, we're done for now." Giuseppe's hard exterior falters for a moment as he basks in the presence of what appears to be an almost normal, loving family. "Damon," He pauses, "Maybe get a personal trainer soon, your character has a lot of combat scenes. Wouldn't want you to disappoint." And just like that, his lack of faith in his son's skills is back, leaving Damon with a smart remark on the tip of his tongue.

"Could've just emailed us and saved the wasted time." With that, Damon pulls his traditional Ray Bans from the pocket on his leather jacket and slides them on before briskly walking out of the room. Echoing softly behind him are words of encouragement and praise from his father towards his younger brother.

" _I'm so happy you chose to work on this Stefan! How about we grab lunch and talk—"_

Out of earshot and out the door, Damon is glad to be in the fresh air once again. He felt the den had become stuffy, crowded and downright unbearable during the 30 minutes he was there. That's how he always felt being in the same room as Giuseppe, it's often why he avoided him. Slipping into his Camaro, the car starts with a purr, _Marchin On by OneRepublic_ softly singing from the car's radio as he accelerates back down the private winding road towards the open freeway. The words of praise held for his brother—from today and past overheard conversations—haunts his thoughts as he flies down the high-speed lane, doing at least 30 over the limit. He'd been praised by endless critics and academies for his talent and work, and yet it was never enough, the emptiness of not having his father's approval always driving him to better his craft in spite, hoping one day he'll finally hear something that isn't a backhanded compliment from the man.

His usual 45-minute drive from his father's house flew by in a blur—literally with clocking 110MPH down the 405. Damon sharply takes the corner towards the private entrance to his high-rise complex's garage, his engine roaring loudly. With his tinted windows, passersby just assume he's some punk driver and not the famous actor. He smirks as the muffled yelling of a middle-aged man across the street from him motions for him to slow down, purposely revving the engine louder in response while pulling into the private garage. Opening the window slightly he gives the guard a slight wave, the guard nodding in return and lifting the gate for him to enter; this being their typical routine for whenever Damon actually drove himself. Pulling into the parking spot reserved for the penthouse, he emerges from the Camaro, shrugging his jacket off in the process as he felt the humidity rising in the closed off garage.

Within minutes he's stepping out of the elevator into his apartment, ready to change into the appropriate workout attire and head out. Paying more attention to his phone than his surroundings, he almost trips over a package left in the foyer.

"What the—" Damon picks up the taped-up box and carries it over to kitchen island, grabbing a knife from the block and slicing it open. Slowly opening the mysterious package, nerves set in as it wouldn't be the first package delivered to him from a crazed fan. Inside lay a few of his infamous black tees and various other personal items he had clearly abandoned at Andie's and a sharp pain settles in his chest as the final nail in the coffin of their relationship is placed. Quickly repackaging the items and closing the box, he slides it off the counter straight into the trash. No point in keeping _that_ , he thought. The new mixture of emotions coming over him forces him to bustle up the stairs to his bedroom, hastily changing into grey sweats and an old black shirt, wanting to get to the gym to blow off steam as soon as he could. Bolting back down the stairs he swipes the keys off the counter and is in the elevator faster than you could blink.

Knowing he should just call his driver, Damon slides into his Camaro not caring for the full privacy at the moment. Throwing the car in drive, he floors out of the garage and down Sunset blvd towards the Equinox gym. Knuckles white from the tight grip on the wheel, his short drive to his destination drags, feeling even longer as he slams on his breaks quickly before rear-ending the Prius in front of him that decided to not drive through the yellow. Some pop song begins to fill his car and he grunts in disgust as he switches the radio off, tapping his fingers impatiently as the light turns green and the Prius slowly drives off. Finally reaching the gym's parking lot, Damon finds the furthest spot to park and turns the engine off, searching the car's glove compartment for his sunglasses. Stepping out of the car, he speed-walks to the sliding door, trying to avoid anyone from recognizing him before he enters the private facility. With his head down and sunglasses still on he accidentally brushes shoulders with someone exiting, slowly raising his head his covered eyes are met with a pair of soft chocolate brown ones, crinkling in laughter from a joke their friend made. The brief minute felt like an eternity as he got lost in the sea of chocolate, from her eye color to long, slim ponytail. He opens his mouth slightly ready to snap at the poor girl, his mood changing instantly back to annoyed until her soft voice floats up to his ears, sounding like pure velvet.

"Sorry, excuse us." She giggles, her and her friend barely paying attention to Damon. As they gracefully walk out the door, a slight sheen of sweat glisten on their tanned skin, Damon is baffled by their reaction, removing his glasses as he turns around to watch them walk to their car as the automatic sliding doors close behind them.

"Mr. Salvatore." The front desk receptionist greets him, pulling his attention back to why he was at the gym in the first place. Nodding, Damon quickly makes his way towards the second floor towards the treadmills and hops on the first open machine, throwing his headphones in and shuffling his entire music library. Hitting play, the first song from shuffle to play is _Brown Eyed Girl,_ making him question if his phone can read his mind as the image of her eyes swirls around in his brain, despite the beautiful view from the windows. Shaking his head, he quickly skips the song for a more upbeat track by _Imagine Dragons_ and increases the speed on the treadmill, trying to break a sweat and break his thoughts. He'd never seen eyes quite like hers before.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed! Don't forget I posted CH. 6 as well, check it out! Let me know what you think in the comments, follow, like, tell your friends, message me! I've just figured out how to read comments again on the mobile app since the update and I don't personally like the change but, whatever right! Until next time xx


	6. Whatever It Takes

As promised, chapter 6! Double posting tonight, hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **PRESENT**

Head spinning, the world slightly feeling fuzzy and distant, Elena quickly stepped to the elevator trying to avoid the glances the star was receiving from the buildings tenants and visitors; shocked murmurs floating in the air by regulars surprised to see a famous person in their lobby. Elena often avoided the front entrance and was good at slipping in and out of her apartment unnoticed, trying to maintain what little privacy and sense of stability she could. It wasn't their fault they didn't know a star was living right under their noses, in fact prior to their messy, complicated relationship, Elena wouldn't have even considered this apartment her home. Her home had been with him. Wherever that may be, that was her home. _This_ , however, was just a place to sleep and avoid Caroline's persistent nagging.

The elevator dings and Elena glides out into the dim hallway, the building going for ambiance over proper lighting, something about an aesthetic. The entire last hour seemed to have been blinked away, one minute she was walking a red carpet with Damon, the next she was standing dumbfounded in front of her floor's elevator trying to piece together her life. Pulling the single key from her small clutch, she walks down the short corridor to the end apartment door, number 13. Struggling to see from the unshed tears in her eyes she jams the key in improperly, releasing a shaky, sad sigh from her misfortune. Finally, the key slides in and the echoing of the click is sounded around her bare apartment as the door swings open. The sun was still setting but the light bouncing off the white walls made the room seem brightly lit and turning on a light was unnecessary.

 _Focus_.

Elena kicks off her tall, unbearable heels and pads around her living room. The once clean, organized lifestyle she adopted from Caroline was out the window as she sidestepped dirty clothing and empty takeout containers. A glossy, 5x7 photo sticks to her bare heel, reaching down without looking she peels it from her foot and chucks it aside, a deep chuckle that would cause worry from bystanders is released from her chest. She didn't have to glance at the photo to see what it was. During an unbearably humid day a few months ago, Elena reached what she believed then had been her breaking point, forcing herself to rid anything of his, however the effort fell flat as a majority of those items just ended up scattered amongst the floor she now refused to look at. She hadn't been strong enough to get rid of the items, she just wasn't ready. If she hadn't been shutting Caroline out, only giving her glimpses of how she really was, maybe her apartment wouldn't look the way it did.

"Thank god I never did that 75 questions with Vogue video." While laughing bitterly she mumbles, her voice cracking.

Remembering why she was at her apartment to begin with, Elena briskly walks towards the short staircase to the second floor, immediately turning into her room and flickering the light on. The cream-colored walls stood out against the wooden furniture she chose to decorate her room with, the only true pops of color being a throw blanket and the spines of books in her bookcase. She was always more of a neutral toned person, the soft palettes fitting her persona. Caroline called her boring for it, but she loved her design choices. Her stiff movements reminded her she was still in her evening dress, throwing her clutch onto her bed she makes her way to her closet, stepping into the massive space and going straight towards the draws grabbing the first concert memorabilia tee and jeans she could find. Stripping from the red gown, she lets the dress lay in a heap under her feat as she slides into the casual outfit; her ruined makeup saying one thing, her comfortable attire another.

Her curls bounced around as she began to grab clothes at random, not really sure what to pack but knowing she just wanted anything, so she could leave. Grabbing the nearest suitcase in her closet she heaves the clothes in, letting it ball up messily. Walking back towards her bed she picks up the clutch and empties its contents onto the plush yellow comforter, grabbing her phone, wallet and keys. Turning her phone back on, a stream of messages and missed calls begin to load but she swipes the notifications away before she can read who any of them are from and pulls up flight info from LAX to CHO. A drunken photo of Elena and Caroline sits in a tiffany frame atop her bedside table, blurring off in her peripheral vision. Powering her phone back on would be the first mistake she would encounter that evening, not that she would know that yet.

* * *

 **3 YEARS AGO**

"Hey Elena!" Matt's voice boomed across the small bar as she and Caroline sauntered in. Caroline riding the high of being told she was going to audition for a pilot and Elena just happy for her friend. The blonde rolls her eyes at the lack of acknowledgement Matt gave her and slides into a high-top chair in the section he buses for, Elena following suit and sitting across from her.

"Hey to you too, Matt."

" _Oh_ , hey Caroline."

Elena giggles softly, for once enjoying the attention. Usually when she was with Care things went the other way around, she would have to make her presence known, not Caroline's. Not that she was in any way jealous of being shadowed by her best friend's strong personality, it was just a comfortable change.

"What brings you guys in tonight?" He places two menus in front of the girls, despite only being a busboy he wanted to spend as much time as he could with them before his boss noticed. This was the first time he'd seen Elena in almost two weeks and he wanted to bask in the moment.

"Caroline's landed an audition, so we figured we'd celebrate before she makes it big and forgets all us little people!" Elena smiles widely as her friend throws daggers at her from across the small pub style table.

"As if I'd forget you." Waving her hand dismissively, Caroline opens up to the drink menu, her mouth was watering at all the options. "Are you able to take orders, Matty?" Batting her large, blue eyes at him.

"For you? Anything." He jokingly rolls his eyes before looking towards Elena, both his pale blue eyes and her dark brown ones shining with mischief. They may have only met a few weeks ago, but Matt knew what made Caroline tick and did it for fun. "What'll it be?" Caroline huffs in annoyance in the background, his focus solely on the brunette. Elena awkwardly smiles and looks down at her closed menu, feeling pressed to order quickly from Caroline's stare she fumbles with the specialty drink menu, her eyes scanning for anything fruity.

"Uh," She gulps, "I'll have the Cherry-Cherry." Having a thing for cherries, the drink was made from a blend of club soda, grenadine, fresh cherries and lime, and rum; an over glorified adult Shirley Temple but still nonetheless sounded delicious to Elena.

"And _I_ will have a frozen lime margarita with a salt rim." Caroline butts in before Matt even turns to take her order, wanting her drink more than the small talk. This was going to be a girl's night for her, and as much as she wanted to see Elena with Matt, that could wait one day. Matt rushes off to place their drink order, mainly leaving their table when he saw his boss leave the back room. He resumed cleaning tables and their drinks get placed sloppily in front of them by a waiter who looked no older than 18 years old.

"I still can't believe you're gonna take the job here." Caroline slowly sips at her frozen beverage, her gaze floating around the room taking in the surroundings. Elena had spilled to her friend when they were changing that she had texted Matt on the car ride about the position. "What happened to not wanting to work with you-know-who?" Her eyes bounce to the right several times in the direction of Matt, who was currently pretending to not stare in the direction of their table.

"I don't know." She sighs softly, twirling the straw around in her untouched drink. "I just needed a job, Care, I need the money. It's only temporarily, until something better comes along." Pulling a cherry out of drink, she places it between her lips and pulls the stem off, savoring the taste of the rum soaked fruit.

"Well, when I land this role we'll be living our best lives! Shopping with no limit on Rodeo drive, maybe get a bigger apartment after a year or so, even get another car!" Caroline begins to ramble what sounds like an unrealistic future for the girls, but her giddiness can't be contained and soon the blonde is smiling ear to ear thinking about her dream career.

"Have you gotten the information for the call yet?" Elena pipes in, trying not to knock her friend off her high horse but bringing her back down a bit. Elena cared deeply for Caroline and didn't want her to be crushed if for whatever reason things didn't go as planned. She was too empathic of a person for it to end up not affecting her as well.

"Not yet," The blonde nearly finished with her drink already and looking to place another order for one and food. "But it's already pretty late and I'm sure Professor Maxfield will send it whenever he has the final date and stuff." Caroline was already deflecting, having a reason for everything.

Elena hummed in agreement and slowly sipped her drink as the waiter came over to take their order, Care ordering fries and another round for the both of them even though Elena was nowhere near finished with her drink. The two drinks slowly turned into three and then five, only being stomached with a small basket of fries and soon enough Caroline was trying to get Elena up to dance in the bar that had no real dance floor and was playing punk rock music. The two girls burst into a fit of laughter, feeling dizzy and unbalanced as they stand from their chairs, silently consecutively deciding to call it a night.

"Let me go say good...bye to Matt." Emphasizing the T's more than needed in her slurred speech, Elena makes her way unsteadily to the bar where Matt was drying glasses.

"Heading out?" Matt looks sadden to see her leaving already, even though the girls had actually been in the bar for almost two hours he just hadn't been able to make his way back over. Soon enough they would be working together, and he'd get to spend more than just five minutes a day with her.

"Mhm" She hiccups, nodding her head quickly, the motion causing her to grip the ledge of the bar tighter. "Just wanted to say night." She smiles stupidly, giving the cheesiest grin she could plaster on her face and turned in a complete 180 to walk back to her friend who was animatedly talking to god knows who. Matt watched her stumble back towards her table, swaying every so often and quickly rushes to her side, feeling horrible if he let them drive home in that condition.

"Hey, Care, I'm gonna drive you girls home, where are your keys?"

"We…we don't need you to drive us ho-home."

"Please, I insist. I'm already going home for the night anyway." He lied, mentally noting to let his boss know on the way out. Seeing the keys still sitting on their table behind them he swipes them before Caroline's sloth like reflexes attempted to grab them; but to be honest, he didn't even think they realized they had left them on their table. "Alright ladies, let's go." He ushers them towards the exit of the bar, following behind to make sure they actually came along. His eyes dart to the back of Elena's head, her arm linked with Caroline's and they drunkenly attempt to whisper to one another.

"…just wanted to drive us be-cause he has a crush on…you." Her finger popping out and tapping Elena's nose. Matt's face flushes from overhearing Caroline's comment, swinging the keys around in his hand and questioning just how obvious it was that he was attracted to Elena. Elena, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to Caroline's comment, her eyes ogling a billboard with Tom Ford's latest model for their new men's fragrance, wondering where she could find a man like that being the last thoughts she would remember from the night.

• • •

The next morning the girls both wake with pounding headaches and questions as to how they got home. Elena rolls off the couch with a grunt, she apparently crashed there for the night instead of in her finished bedroom. Still in her black skinny jeans and velvet tank top, she groans internally as she stands and is blinded by the afternoon sun. Practically crawling to the kitchen that was only a few steps away, Elena pops in a k-cup, the strong scent of caffeine waking her momentarily. Her hands find her temples and she begins to massage the constant throbbing that has been present since she woke. A high-pitched scream causes Elena to squeeze her eyes closed, the sound slicing through her head, sending the sharpest of pains all the way down to her feet.

"Care?" She yelled out as she hears the soft running of footsteps across the hardwood floor.

"I got the email! Look!" Still talking obnoxiously loud, Caroline holds a brightly lit phone screen stretched out in front of Elena's face. Squinting to only let in a small amount of this bright light, Elena reads the email forwarded to her friend from her professor—who received it from a Netflix casting director.

"…15th and 16th, please bring a headshot and resume (if applicable). The call will run all day, but those who arrive early will most likely have more time when seen…" Elena reads aloud, slightly mumbling the unimportant parts to herself. "Care! That's great! It's so soon! Like, what? Almost two and a half weeks from now?" The talk of the approaching date causes the blonde's happy face to fall and stress slowly settles in.

"Oh my god. It's only a few weeks away…" Caroline is now staring at the calendar on her phone, her expression giving on the impression she's trying to extend the time between now and the date. "What am I gonna do? Oh my god, I have to find an outfit and practice a monologue, what if they ask for a cold read? Oh god…Elena this isn't enough time, I'll never be read—"

"Woah, slow down, Care." Her hands reach out and grip her friend's shoulders, trying to bring her back down. "You're gonna do great! If that professor of yours thinks you're good enough to audition, then don't stress it!" Elena tries to sound reassuring, when in fact she too thought this was so sudden. Was this how it always was in the showbiz?

"I can't _think_ right now with this headache!" Caroline cries out, her knuckles turning white from the tight grip on her phone.

"Now, _that_ , is all on you. _But_ ," She quickly recovers from her crack at Caroline's inability to just ever have one drink. "I do have something that will help that." The cup of coffee she was making for herself had finished a few minutes ago and she quickly takes it from under the k-cup maker and slides it across the island to the blonde.

"This is why you're my best friend." Caroline sighs contently as she stirs cream and sugar in the cup before taking a small sip. Elena smiles softly and rolls her eyes at how easy it is to switch gears with her friend; whether it's because of their lifelong connection or just that Caroline was easy to distract she wasn't sure.

"Hey, what's that?" Caroline's head nods towards the note left on their fridge under their MFHS magnet.

"I'm not sure."

Both girls move towards the fridge and Elena reaches out to take the note in her hands, holding it between the pair so they can read it without struggle. Scrawled out in messy handwriting reads:

 _Left your keys on the table near the door. – Matt_

The girls look at each other baffled, both trying to recall last night's events when there's a soft knock on the door.

"I bet that's the puppy now." Caroline jokes while returning to her cup of coffee, leaning casually over the kitchen island while scrolling through her phone for monologues she had saved on a drive.

"Funny." Elena's eyes glare up towards the ceiling and she mutters under her breath wishing it wasn't Matt; her appearance was far from guest ready. Not understanding why she suddenly cared what she looked like for Matt, she shakes the thought from her head while reaching for the knob when another knock is heard from the other side of the door. Swinging the door open, she breathes a sigh of relief when it's just a delivery man with a mailed package for her to sign for. "Are you expecting anything?" She asks while holding the small, rectangular package under her arm covering the label, closing the door behind her. Caroline's dull blonde curls shake with a no, not making eye contact with her friend still. Elena brings the package over to the counter, finally focusing on the attached label. Seeing the name Sommers as the sender she quickly grabs scissors from the third draw on the left and slices open the packaging tape, revealing a little care package for the girls from Jenna.

"What's that?!" Caroline's small, thin hand is moving around the packing styrofoam peanuts and pulls out a miniature Mystic Falls snow globe keychain by its ring. "How cute! Is there another so we can each have one on our keys?" The packing begins to fly all around the counter, falling to the floor as Caroline pulls out a matching keychain and places them both down. The remaining items were small knickknacks the girls could place around their apartment, family pictures, cards from their families and some of their favorite local foods—all reminders and mementos of the small-town life they left behind for big city dreams. Elena finishes up with making her own cup of coffee and hops on top of the kitchen island to sit, looking down at the blonde who is sifting through the photos sent, many featuring the girls high school adventures and parties.

"Haha, remember this night Lena?" Passing the photo to her friend, two young high schoolers dancing atop a dining room table in the middle of a party is the center focus, the blondes hair tossing around while the brunette's arms are thrown up in the air, her head back in laughter. "We were so drunk! That was the night my mom busted the entire party and grounded me for a _month_ because I told her we were just studying at your house! I can't believe Jenna sent us this."

"Oh my god! My parents were so mad when your mom's squad car dropped me off at home…still drunk." Elena burst out laughing, Caroline following suit. "We were horrible liars!"

"We still are!" The memory of a high school party forces Elena to remember that fateful night, tension filling the air quickly. "Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't think…" Caroline quickly picks up on her friends' mood change, her hand reaching out and squeezing Elena's.

"No, it's okay." Elena shakes her head and tries to put on her best fake smile, squeezing her friend's hand back. "I can't be the sad girl forever."

"And you won't be if I can help it!"

"Anyway," Having a genuine smile resting on her face from her friend's remark, she decides to switch subjects, sipping on her filled to the rim mug. "I've been thinking about how badly I need to start working out again. Or get longer legs to keep up with you, whichever is easier." She says in between sips.

"My dad has a family pass for some high-end gym that has a bunch of locations. Let me see if they exist out here." Her long nails tapping against the glass screen of her large iPhone, Caroline scours the internet for the closest gym her dad's membership works for.

"Even if there isn't one we can just—"

"So," Caroline cuts her off, blue orbs still glued to her phone screen. "It looks like there's this gym on the strip that his pass works at. We should try it out later!" Any signs of a hangover having already left the blonde's face, meanwhile Elena still felt as if she'd gotten run over and was sure she looked as much.

"Oh, I don't know if today's really the best day to start, Care."

"Of course, it is! We'll go around 3-ish!" She chirps, leading Elena to roll her eyes when her friend wasn't paying attention. Hopping off of the counter in their full white kitchen, she lands softly on the balls of her feet, the cool tile against the soles. Their kitchen was fully decorated and stocked, ready for whoever was an excellent baker to use it—something both girls were not. The fridge lined with random magnets and photos they had printed their first night in the apartment; trying to make it seem homey. Not saying a word to Care, she begins to walk towards the bathroom closest to her room, the small, narrow gray hallway adorned with art pieces Caroline had picked along with pieces from a local HomeGoods, a small end table sitting in the center with a metal lamp and plastic succulent. The girls wanted real succulents but knew they wouldn't be home all the time to take care of it; settling for the plastic would have to do.

With the door shutting behind her she walks into her claimed bathroom, the once bare gray walls and shelves filled with plastic plants and an abundant amount of bathroom necessities and, yes, towels. She learned her lesson from her first morning in the apartment and had quickly set up the bathroom to prevent anymore sheet incidents. Undressing quickly from her stiff, stale outfit she hops in the off shower and turns the two knobs, being sprayed with ice cold water momentarily before it heats. Sighing contently, she leans her throbbing head against the tile as the warm water glides down her.

 _Who knew a hot shower was the cure to everything_ , she thought, closing her eyes to enjoy the quiet.

• • •

"Caroline, I don't know about this!" Elena's head was still slightly hurting but she was able to not walk around squinting at every bright light. She tugged on her high-waist yoga pants, feeling they weren't high enough paired with just a sports bra. Standing across from her was the blonde, donned in a similar outfit that was composed of bright, flashy colors; something only Caroline could pull off and not look like a fool. Elena, on the other hand, was in full black, already feeling out of her skin in this workout outfit chosen by her friend.

"Oh, come on, Lena! Stop trying to pull your leggings up to your neck and let's go." She grabs her by the arm and drags her towards the parking spot their little gray car was in. "You look hot. Not that it matters since we're going to the gym for ourselves and not anyone else." Elena chuckles at Caroline's quick but well-meant comment. Getting closer to the car Elena spots Tyler and Matt getting out of their car with book bags in tow. Caroline was lucky with her class schedule this year, managing to only have classes twice a week, meanwhile the boys attended almost every day, something Elena couldn't wrap her head around given how late Matt sometimes worked at the bar. Matt's eyes instantly find Elena's and light up, a big smile spreading across his face.

"Well, well, well, I didn't think I'd see you girls even leaving the apartment today with the hangovers you're sure to be sporting." Matt says loudly across the lot, taking large steps towards the girls' car, Tyler following behind. "That is, unless the both of you are some sort of supernatural creatures who don't experience hangovers." He chuckles as the four of them come to a stop, leaning on the hood of the compact car.

"Trust me," Elena breathes out, "We were definitely feeling it when we woke up this morning."

"Hey Ty!" Caroline gives a flirty smile towards Tyler; her hand raised no higher than her waist as she wiggles her fingers at the boy. Tyler smirks at the blonde, giving her a head nod as he moves towards her and whispers secretly into her ear, his hand brushing the strands of blonde that have fallen from her bun aside. Matt and Elena make eye contact, both simultaneously roll their eyes at the pair, silently agreeing to give them space as they walk around to the passenger side of Caroline's car.

"So," He momentarily pauses, "Where are you two headed?" As soon as the words leave his mouth, Matt feels stupid, his eyes falling to her workout clothes as the obvious answer. He runs his hair through his blonde hair, attempting to dishevel it but his hair stays firm in place; hairspray not needed to maintain it.

"Caroline found this gym her dad's family membership back home works at, so we were going to check it out." Elena nods, staring off behind Matt's gaze, the parking lot for the complex being surrounded by shrubs on the outskirts. "It was really my idea to start working out again but…I just didn't think she would want to start _today_." His chuckle brings her attention back to him, her brown eyes meeting with his soft blue ones. Her eyes drift to his outfit, seeing him in a short sleeve navy button down and light khaki shorts. She noted that he tended to wear dark clothes a lot, probably to bring out his pale eyes.

"Which gym?"

"I'm…not sure. She said it's on the strip. Not very specific, that one." Her head nods in the direction of the blonde who is giggling like a school girl at whatever Tyler is saying to her.

"Hm. There's a few on the strip that are pretty good." The conversation slowly dwindling down and awkwardness settling in. The pair typically didn't talk much outside of the group and maintaining chitchat with someone you only knew the surface of was hard.

"We should probably get going, Lena!" Care's voice floats over to the other side of the car, thankfully ending the painfully awkward silence between Matt and her. Even though Caroline's focus is still on Tyler, Elena nods in response, hand already on the door handle.

"Elena," Matt shakily breathes out, his nerves getting the best of him. He usually wasn't like this with girls, he didn't understand why he felt so nervous around her. "I was wondering if, well, if you'd want to go to a Halloween party? Like as a date…with me?" His eyes quickly dart down to his feet, you would think he was a high school boy asking out his crush on the popular girl.

 _Oh, Matt_. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, but also not wanting to say no exactly either, Elena quickly answers without a second thought.

"Sure." She smiles softly, surprised at her own answer as much as he seemed to be when his head shot up, eyes wide in response.

" _Oh!_ I—" He stutters out. The sound of the car unlocking alerts Elena that Caroline is ready to leave, her hand pulling on the handle slightly, not trying to make it obvious she wanted to leave as quickly as she could. "I'll text you with the date and time then. And if you like, wanted to do a matching costume or something, we could." He finally spits out, his face looking like a child on Christmas morning, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. She nods in response and wishes him a goodbye as she opens the door wider and slides in, closing it behind her and not rolling down the window to continue the conversation. The blonde graciously enters the car, placing the keys into the ignition but not starting it up before waving a bye to Tyler.

"Matt just asked me out on a date." She blurts out as the car comes to life and Caroline is backing out of her reserved spot.

"What!" Caroline chokes out, her head whipping to face the brunette. "And you said…?"

"Yes. For whatever reason, my mind had me blurt out yes." She mumbles, playing with her ponytail.

"Elena!" Caroline squeals excitedly, scaring Elena because the distraction caused Caroline to slightly drift into the very empty lane to the right of her. "What's the date gonna be? What're you going to wear? Oh my god, are you going to try to sleep with him? I think you should, he's total eye candy. And, let's face it, you're pretty tense right—"

"Care!" Elena cuts her friend off before she can ramble any longer, the idea of even sleeping with Matt made her squirm. She wasn't the type to just have casual hook ups; it took almost a year of dating Liam before she had even felt comfortable enough to sleep with him. Elena wished she could be the carefree type that didn't need or want an emotional connection with a guy first, but she just did. "I am _not_ sleeping with Matt! Probably ever!" She huffs out. "It's for some Halloween party. He said he'd text me with the info, but I don't know, Care. Why did I say yes?!" Her voice becoming muffled as she covers her face with her hands.

"I'm sure it'll end up being fun! Matt's such a good guy, Lena. He'll probably be super nervous about the whole thing and won't try a thing; probably even have you home before midnight. Tyler actually asked me to go to that like a week ago, so you'll have me still if you needed to ditch him mid-party!" Caroline slips out a soft laugh to lighten the mood in the car as she follows the GPS to the gym.

"Why didn't you tell me Tyler invited you?"

"I didn't think it mattered." She shrugs. "I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to even go since you hadn't been asked, but now that you have…"

"Still could've mentioned it." She mumbles, mentally questioning why Care had even hid it from her in the first place.

"You know," Caroline begins to switch directions with the conversation, wanting to avoid making Elena anymore annoyed. "I've heard this gym we're going to has celebrity members. Or at least according to Yelp reviews they do."

"You still haven't even told me which gym!" The irony of not being told yet another thing causes small bouts of annoyance to roll off of her in waves. The car suddenly turns into a large parking lot that is packed with cars and blacked out Range Rovers, a building named Equinox that looks more like a small apartment complex than a gym is on their left. Caroline drives around the lot a few times before finding an open spot in one of the first few rows and putting the car in park.

"Well, now you know the name!" Elena rolls her eyes at her friend, grabbing the towel and refillable water bottle she brought from the backseat. "From the pictures I've seen of this place are _beautiful,_ they have multiple floors that have one-way floor-to-ceiling windows, spin classes hourly and even a spa!" The talk of a spa causes Elena to perk up at the thought of a great way to relax at the end of whatever workout her crazed friend was going to put her through. Walking through the sliding doors they are instantly met with the cool breeze of the air conditioner and a large dark marbled counter to the right. The lobby of this gym was probably one of the most beautiful entrances the girls had ever seen, decorated in shades of tan with black accents, it seemed very modern-industrial.

Caroline goes to check them in and walks back with a staff member who is going to give them a quick tour. From the massive open floors to the yoga and cycling studio, the gym was impressive. Even the locker rooms were bigger than their entire apartment!

"I can't believe your dad's membership works here!" Elena gasps as she peaks her head into the spa area, the both of them walking back towards the cycling studio; the next 45-minute ride started soon, and the girls decided their first workout would be that.

"I know!" Excitement bubbled in Caroline as they entered the dark cycle studio and picked bikes towards the back of the room. Elena was surprised she hadn't wanted a bike in the first row given how competitive she is, but she wouldn't complain—Elena was far too out of shape to be a first-row rider. More gym goers and regular cyclists began to file in and pick their bikes, many talking amongst themselves making it obvious who was a regular and who wasn't. Soon enough the instructor is going over the basics of the class, showing new comers like Elena and Caroline how to properly adjust their bike and then the class starts with a heavy mix of EDM and Pop blaring from the speakers as the female instructor gives small pep talks in between counts and cues. The 45-minute class flies by, Elena feeling the burn in her legs from having the gear at a solid 12 for a majority of the ride, trying to keep up with the class and her best friend—who ended her ride on gear 15 and still seemed peppy.

"That was probably one of the most fun group classes I've ever done!" Caroline cheerfully says to Elena as they exit the studio and walk to the fountain to refill their bottles. "It didn't even feel like a workout with that playlist."

"Oh, it felt like a workout alright." Elena laughs, wanting to badly just sit in a steam room for the rest of her life, pulling the blonde towards the spa's entrance but her friend pulls back, halting them to a stop.

"We didn't bring a change of clothes or anything, we can't just go to the spa in _this_!"

"Who cares! People just sit in steam rooms in towels!"

"We can check it out next time, Lena."

"But I'm tired! I want to relax!" Elena whines, doing her best doe eye look for her friend, hoping it would do the trick and sighing loudly when it doesn't.

"And you can relax…back at the apartment. Let's go."

"You're no fun, Caroline Forbes!" The blonde sticks her tongue out at the brunette as they walk briskly down the stairs back towards the exit, Caroline's childlike impulses eliciting a laugh out of Elena.

"I'm plenty of fun, Elena Gilbert, and you know it! I didn't dance on table tops and host the best parties Mystic Falls has ever seen to not be considered fun!" She elbows her friend's side and both girls laugh loudly.

"Okay, so you're a little fun." Elena's smile grows bigger as the blonde softly yells a "hey" in response to her comment. The pair not paying attention as they glide towards the exit, too lost in laughs and a minuscule conversation. Elena's shoulder collides with a strong forearm, a soft grunt escaping her lips as she feels like she walked partially into a wall, Caroline snickering from her side. She looks up briefly and is met with a strong jawline, messy jet-black hair and black designer shades, her eyes darting towards the glass doors out of embarrassment.

"Sorry, excuse us." Elena softly giggles as Caroline pulls her out and towards their parked car.

"I think that was Damon Salvatore!" Caroline says ecstatically, letting go of her hold around Elena's arm as they part around the car and get in.

"It definitely wasn't, Care." Rolling her eyes at her friends' obsession with celebrities. "Don't you think there would've been fans and cameras crowding the entrance if it was him? And besides, we—or well I—practically almost knocked him over, I feel if that was _any_ celebrity they would've been pissed." Her preconceived idea of what type of person Damon and how typical celebrities act was clouding any reason it could've been him; the media had always built a strong case against him.

"Well," Buckling into their seats and leaving the parking lot back towards their apartment, Caroline sighs wistfully. "whoever that was looked tall, dark and handsome." Give it to Caroline to have been ogling the guy.

They were back at the complex in a flash, Caroline rushing into the apartment as soon as the elevator doors slide open, leaving Elena with an eyebrow raised in the doorframe. The blonde skirts down the hallway towards her room but detours into her bathroom and instantly the shower is heard running as she exits the bathroom and walks into her room to grab a change of clothes.

"Going somewhere?"

"What? Oh! Haha, yeah, um." Caroline pauses for the right words as she spins on her heels to face the questioning eyes of her best friend.

"Spill."

"I'm going to dinner with Tyler." She finally blurts out, her cheeks turning pink. "He asked me right before we left for the gym and I couldn't just tell you we weren't going to go anymore so now I'm just gonna rush to get ready before he comes to get me."

"So, what you're saying is," Elena's eyes dart around dramatically, sending Caroline into a slight frenzy of nerves. "I could've prevented this constant burning feeling in my muscles then? So _that's_ why you didn't want to stay for the spa, huh?" She giggles and her friends' shoulders sag in relief before bursting into a fit of giggles to follow suit.

"You enjoyed it though! Shut up!" Caroline playfully pushes Elena's small shoulder.

"Well." Elena gestures towards the running shower. "What're you waiting for?! Go get ready!" She shoves Caroline towards the bathroom and reaches for the door handle to close it before the blonde's hand juts out, sprawling across the white wood to stop it from shutting.

"What're you going to do tonight? I don't have to go! I can stay in and we can watch some crappy lifetime movie and eat low-fat Ben and Jerry's ice cream."

"I can handle a night alone, Care."

"Yeah, but—"

"Nope! No buts! You're going! I'll be fine, maybe I'll finally binge-watch Grey's."

"I can always see if Matt isn't working and have him—"

"Haha, real funny, Care." Her grip on the handle tightens as she leans forward to pull it towards her, closing the door in the blonde's face before she can remark. "I'll be fine!" She yells from behind the closed door and turns towards her own bathroom, wanting nothing more than to get out of these sweaty clothes. Taking a quick shower, Elena is out and changed into plaid pajama shorts and a purple tank top before Caroline has even left the bathroom. Even though it was still early in the evening, Elena was beat from the gym and she wanted nothing more than lounge on the couch for the remainder of the night, maybe even curl up with a good book.

The other bathroom door finally opens, and out emerges Caroline in a form-fitting plain black dress and gold strappy platform sandals, her makeup pristine, even down to the sparkling eyeshadow that Elena was sure was from an ABH palette Care always raved about. Elena was never big on doing makeup, preferring the extra time to sleep in or attempt to have breakfast. It's not that she didn't enjoy wearing makeup or didn't need to, she just always felt she couldn't do it the best; especially in comparison to Caroline, who was practically a professional at it.

"Well, don't you look hot! Tyler's going to have a hard time keeping his paws off of you." Elena wiggles her brows at the blonde, causing a laugh from her while blood rushes to her cheeks. Before she can comment a knock on the door silences the pair.

"Don't wait up for me!"

"Wasn't planning on it!" Elena whistles back, hearing the door open and close, clearly Tyler wasn't going to be invited in before heading out. Checking her phone, she sees a text from Matt from a half hour ago, most likely regarding the Halloween party.

 _Matt:_ _Hey!_

 _Matt: The party I was telling you about earlier is on the 30th, starts at 9pm. Let me know if you're free to go, I know it's kind of last minute and all._

The 30th was just days away and she was supposed to be starting her new job training tomorrow, plus with no costume yet, Elena began to wonder if she really should even go but having already told him yes, she would not be that person; especially over text.

 _Elena: Hey Matt! Yeah, that should be fine!_

 _Elena: I'm not really sure of my training schedule for the bar, but I'm sure it won't affect it._

She puts her phone down onto the couch and grabs the remote, ready to channel surf when her phone's text tone rings out.

 _Matt: I actually checked prior to asking you today, ha._

 _Matt: Hadn't wanted to ask and then you find out you couldn't even go. Perks of working together now, I guess lol :)_

Feeling slightly bothered by his overstepping, she ignores his messages and flips to a channel playing a repeat of _Friends_ episodes, the 90s sitcom being one of her favorites. Her phone pings once again minutes later, one new message from Matt reads on her iPhone.

 _Matt: Not sure if you want to do a matching costume or anything, but if you're free tomorrow we can go look around. Lots of cool, vintage places and costume shops around us!_

 _Elena: I just have to make sure Caroline didn't have anything planned. She's kind of a control freak._

 _Elena: But I'll let you know! :)_

Hoping that would end the conversation, but the three dots appear on the bottom left of the message to indicant he was replying.

 _Matt: Sounds good._

 _Matt: Have a goodnight, Elena. Maybe see you tomorrow._

His messages being curt and short, Elena can tell he's hurt by her lack of response and enthusiasm and she makes a reminder out of guilt to text him in the morning that she can go costume shop with him.

" _Do you have a plan?" "I don't even have a pla."_ The television echoes in the background, showing Phoebe from friends laying on the ground in a onesie drinking a milkshake. The bright light of the TV now lighting up the darkened living room, leaving Elena to lay across the small loveseat and grab the nearest throw, ready for her night in.

"You and me both." She chuckles at the blonde on the TV, her eyes slowly opening and closing, trying to fight the feeling of sleep overcoming her. The sight of the television begins to blur as she drifts off, falling asleep once again on her couch. She wasn't sure what made her couch so appealing, but she just couldn't help it. Waking up a few hours later, repeated episodes of _George Lopez_ play loudly on the screen in front of her, the brightness in contrast with the pitch-black living room burning her eyes and she groggily gets up and powers it down. Her body sore from her workout and from stiffly laying on the couch too small for sleeping on, she groans in protest as she walks closed eyed to her bedroom, bumping into the corner of the end table and cursing under her breath. Collapsing into her bed, she sighs contently, getting under the warm covers and pulling it over her head, lulling herself back to sleep quickly as the front door of her apartment is squeaked open as quietly as possible. Her life may seem plain and simple now, but she enjoyed it; and to much of Caroline's protests, she enjoyed alone time too. People worried too much about her being alone, afraid because of her past but she was a different person now, or so she liked to think.

* * *

Did everyone enjoy the last two posts?! Leave comments, reviews, follow the story, get your friends to follow it! I've missed reading your reviews dearly! Update coming soon, maybe even sooner than you think :) xx


	7. Cosmic Love

hello hello hello,

let me welcome you all back with open arms, thanks for sticking around, i keep promising to update and i plan to keep my promises, i just can't keep get them as soon as i always wish, but i swear you guys will not be left hanging with this story, if for whatever reason that happens i will have someone come hunt me down and finish because my faithful readers deserve it hehe. anyway, we're really getting into the depth of the story now, i'm very excited for what's to come! also, i don't mean to not capitalize anything here, it's just, i'm eating currently so i'm lazy haha.

* * *

 **PRESENT DAY**

Grabbing her bag and quickly bolting down the stairs two at a time, Elena flicks the light off in her apartment, swiping the keys off the small side table near the front door and exiting before she could second guess her decisions. Rather than taking the elevator, she decides to briskly walk down the 10 flights of stairs, luggage in one hand and smart phone in the other, sunglasses covering her puffy eyes as she makes her way into the enclosed parking garage. It was a strange feeling to be walking down in the dimly lit, musky lot considering she hadn't driven herself anywhere in years. She didn't even know why she was bothering with it being such a short trip to LAX but calling her driver would inform her manager and eventually word would make its way to _him_ and she just wanted one. free. minute.

"Come on." She mumbles as her hand steadily shakes trying to unlock the sleek black Maserati as she got closer to the corner spot. The car was far from anything she'd ever wanted or would ever care to drive, hence why it would sit for months at a time until Damon would eventually take it for a spin up the coast; complaining she shouldn't let such a nice car sit around. The car had been a gift on her birthday, he taught her how to drive stick and everything, but she never felt comfortable behind the wheel. It had too much power for her, and now too many memories as she opened the door and popped the trunk, throwing the one piece of luggage in before sliding into the driver's seat, the crisp leather firm and the new car smell almost still intact; along with the familiar cologne wafting up. The trunk automatically closed on its on as she push-started the car and took a deep, shaky breath, bringing her frail small hands to the cold wheel.

Damon being the last to drive the car had backed it perfectly into the spot and readjusted everything to her liking, even down to the exact height of the seat, making her ascent quick but painful as she drives forward out of her numbered spot towards the closed metal door. Clicking a remote attached to the visor, the metal door clanks open slowly, and she revs the car out onto the empty side street, taking the turn around the building sharper than she wanted, tires squealing. As quickly as she could blink the haze out of her eyes she was already on the main boulevard, weaving in and out of traffic in an unlikely manner; speeding well over the limit she'd like to blame it on her sour mood. The silence in the car was deafening and eating her alive as his let me explain played over and over in her head.

"God, _You're so stupid!_ You should've known better! People like him don't change!"Elena harshly says aloud to herself, tears streaming down her face once again as she turns the stereo on with one click of a button on the wheel, word of her already blowing off the Academy Awards a headline for every news station, along with the breaking news of him being seen with his new girl not long after. Elena beings to smack the wheel with the palm of her left hand, her frustration and sadness growing and melting together. Her glassy orbs still focused heavily on the road ahead as she decides to detour on a backroad to avoid any heavy traffic. Her quick merge across lanes causing various angry beeps being heard behind her, making a sharp left turn before the light changes leads her towards a more scenic strip of road, being single lanes on either side.

The vibration of her cell phone catches her attention and her wild, covered eyes whip towards the source, only to realize she's thrown it on the floor of the passenger seat. With no other cars on the road around her and desperation seeping out of her for comfort she quickly reaches down, arm stretched out feeling around for the device as it vibrates again. The radio still softly murmuring on about the perfect couple that was Damon and Elena.

* * *

 **3 YEARS AGO**

"Damn it!" Elena cursed at herself as the shot glass slips out of her hand and falls to the wet floor behind the bar in slow motion, shattering in half as it hit the ground. Her first day of training started well before the bar opened, meaning no customers to thankfully notice her slip ups and fails however a very judge-y eyed boss watching from afar, mentally questioning his recent new hire.

"You'll have to get used to the glasses being kind of slippery. Pouring drinks can sometimes get messy, _if_ you aren't used to it." The brunette bartender training her said with a slightly harsh undertone, her brown curled hair cut shoulder length. Her dark skin being complimented by the green work tee she cut and styled to her liking; a sign of defiance towards her job. Her frame petite, being shorter than Elena, however she still frightened her.

"Just nerves." Elena chuckles while grabbing a dustpan to sweep up the broken glass. "So, Bonnie, how long have you worked here?" Hoping to break the tension between the pair considering they were going to be working together for the next two weeks of her training.

"Little over two years." She says briefly, not wanting to open up to the new member trying to enter her circle. Bonnie places the next set of items onto the counter, ready to train Elena how to make another popular mixed drink for when the rushes of college students make their way to the bar. Elena nods and decides to save the question prodding for another time, realizing it would take more than a few hours with Bonnie to break any ice. Her training day was almost over, the first day mainly just to get familiar with the bar and the process to working the bar; she'd be back tomorrow during actual business hours to shadow Bonnie. The last few hours breezed by, Elena being shown how to make everything from fruity cocktails like Sex on The Beaches and Cosmopolitans to simply just learning which beers they carried on tap and draft. As they wrapped up, cleaning down the bar and putting away the unused bottles and glasses, Bonnie glances towards the lean brunette who was scrubbing fiercely at a sticky spot on the countertop.

"It'll get easier—"

"What? Scrubbing stains off?" She says in quick bursts, feeling like she was going to break in a sweat from the arm movement.

"No," Bonnie chuckles, "Well, I mean, yes, but I meant learning the routine here. Once you get into the flow of things, you'll question how you thought it was so hard to begin with."

"Oh." She straightens herself up, throwing the towel on the counter. "I hope so. There's so many drinks and combinations to remember…"

"There's an acronym for some of it. I'll teach you it next time you're here!" Bonnie smiles softly at her, this being their first genuine interaction all morning. The entrance to the bar swings open, the sun shining profusely through, haloing around the blonde walking in. After feeling bad the night before, Elena had reached out to Matt when she woke up and offered to go costume shopping with him after her training shift. He saunters up to the bar where the pair is taking off their aprons and getting ready to go punch their time cards.

"Hey, Lena." He breathes out, testing the waters by using the nickname he often heard Caroline calling her. The brunette had her back towards him, jumping when she hears her name being said so close. Quickly turning around, her ponytail whipping to the side and almost hitting Bonnie in the face, she's met with the familiar pale eyes of her downstairs neighbor.

"Oh, hey!" Her smile soft, not showing teeth. "I didn't expect to see you this early." Glancing briefly at the phone in her hand, the time reading 2PM, a half hour before they were supposed to meet; at the apartment. _Boy, was he eager._

"I figured you'd be wrapping up here and wanted to make it easier by just picking you up!" Bonnie glances between the pair and can see the awkwardness thick between them, obvious that whatever this was, wasn't reciprocated.

"Well, Matt." She makes her presence known, "Elena and I still have to go grab our things, give her a few." She quickly links arms with the girl and starts walking them both towards the back room, pulling her away from him. "So, you and Matt huh?" Unlinking her arm, she opens her locker and grabs her ripped, denim jacket and keys, forcibly closing the locker, the metal clang echoing in the brick room.

"What? You think Matt and I are—Oh. No…no we're just friends."

"That's what I thought." Bonnie clicks her tongue, staring at the brunette's deep brown eyes. "I've known Matt since he moved here and—no offense—you just don't seem _right_ for him. He's a good guy…don't toy with him." Elena stares bewildered as Bonnie snakes around her and exits the backroom, letting those be her last words. Wanting to run after her and ask what she meant, she stood stunned in the same spot for a few moments before remembering Matt was waiting on her. Grabbing her things, her mind kept circling Bonnie saying she wasn't right for him—sounding more negative than a minimal, concerned friend—as she pushed her way through the swinging door towards the bar front.

 _What was that supposed to mean? 'Don't toy with him.' She barely knows me!_ Elena mimicked in her head, her annoyed thoughts bouncing around her head. Trying to give the benefit of the doubt towards Matt's co-worker, she shakes it off and looks up to see Matt smiling widely at her; a smile that she was sure would cause any other girl to have butterflies in her stomach had no effect on the brunette. _I could be right for him! What does she know!_

"Ready to go?" He asks animatedly, wanting nothing more than to wrap an arm around her, or even settle for holding hands but he doesn't push it. Nodding her head, she lets him lead out towards his parked car, a black Ford pick-up truck that was a little beat up from a few fender-benders. Opening the door for her, Elena mumbles a thank you and steps up into the small truck. Matt quickly comes around and gets in the driver's side, starting the pick-up, the air conditioner blowing full blast as the engine comes to life. "I'm really happy you said yes to coming."

"I'm looking forward to it!" She tries to say happily, hoping he doesn't notice any falters in her tone. "Caroline and I love Halloween! Back home they have this huge Halloween event at our old high school, there's a haunted house, a carnival and a ton of local food booths set up. The whole town comes out!" She says dreamily, reminiscing on all their drunken attempts at the maze and Jeremy's lack of enthusiasm in dressing up each year, getting lost in her thought; a twinge of remorse hitting her for moving so far from home. "Each year Caroline would sign us up to help organize it, even when we lived an hour away, it was kind of her thing." She says the last note with a shrug.

"You never did tell me where you guys were from."

"This small little town in Virginia called Mystic Falls. It's not really on the map for much besides for some confederate civil war battle. And I mean locals joke it's a breeding ground for the supernatural but that's all just bedtime stories." She laughs dismissively, glancing over at the blonde from the passenger seat.

"Mystic Falls? Oh yeah, heard of it."

"You have?" He breathes heavily through his nose, a silent laugh escaping at her naivety.

"No, actually." A smile spreading across his face. "But, it sounds like a pretty cool place to me."

"Oh." Elena feels the heat rush to her cheeks as she realizes a little too late that he had been flirting with her. Trying to compose herself, she readjusts how she's sitting, crossing and uncrossing her legs, "Yeah. It was pretty cool." Silence fills the truck, the radio being turned to a low hum, making the pair squirm, both realizing how hard it was to hold a conversation. "So, um, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Where are you from? I remember you saying you moved here like a year ago, so where'd you move from?"

"Covington. It's in Georgia. Ty and I got football scholarships to UCLA and moved together. Been buds since the 9th grade." His hands grip the covered steering wheel lightly, driving down the one-way street slowly.

"So, _that's_ why you have a letterman jacket." Elena says aloud, meaning to have kept the thought to herself but it accidentally slipped from her subconscious.

"Didn't realize you'd remember me wearing that." He smirks to himself.

"Well," She pauses, trying to think of a clever way out of this conversation. "You were wearing it when it was quite warm out, I kept wondering if you were crazy or just really loved the heat, haha." His truck finally pulls into a free parking lot for the downtown shops and diners, turning into the first available spot and turning off the engine. Drastically different from the strip on Rodeo drive, this downtown area was like a hidden gem, many of the buildings looking historic and made of brick; it kind of reminded her of the town square back home.

"So, there's an actual costume shop around the corner and then there's one of those pop-up Spirit Halloween stores somewhere near here." He continued to mumble on as he reached for the door handle to get out. She followed suit and opened her door, quickly jumping down from the seat and onto the pavement. Her feet led her around the car to meet with the pale blue-eyed boy, towering only a few inches over her.

"Let's go to the costume shop! I bet it'll be fun!" Wanting to see what retro looks and unique costumes they had, Elena grew excited thinking about it. Halloween was really one of her favorite holidays, apart from Christmas; both celebrated immensely in the Gilbert household.

"You know, they say some wardrobe teams for the productions that film in the city sometimes come to this shop to look for outfits."

"Oh yeah?" She says with a nudge, feeling he was just trying to impress her. But it wasn't Elena who enjoyed the limelight, he was barking up the wrong tree. Matt led the way down the small sidewalk to the corner costume shop, complete with a vintage awning and large storefront windows. She followed quickly, keeping up pace with the football player, walking side by side and making it nearly impossible for a passerby to walk in the opposite direction. Reaching forward, Matt pushes the door open and holds it for Elena to walk through, a bell above the door jingling to let the owner know they have customers. The shop was small, consisting mainly of rows of racks filled with colorful outfits and props, all the way in the back were small, curtained changing rooms, along the two parallel walls were the owners picks—outfits dressed on plastic molds, various props and set pieces mounted—so many options and places to look, Elena didn't know where to start. "What were you thinking of?"

The floor dropped slightly beneath her, a single step down from the shop's entrance that was unexpected causing Elena to slightly stumble into the nearest rack, a deep laugh erupting from Matt as his hand stretches out to help balance her.

"Careful." He mumbles behind her as his hand grazes her arm, letting go before the contact became awkward. Matt clears his throat as he walks towards a rack in the back, not answering her prior question because he didn't have a clue what he wanted to wear to the party. The silence between the pair not as tense as before left them to their thoughts as they flicked through racks and bins, Matt occasionally pulling out a bizarre or funny costume and calling for Elena's attention, making a funny face or comment causing her to release carefree laughs every so often. She had her back towards the blonde now, aimlessly moving pieces of fabric aside, nothing really catching her eye or could be worked as a pair when something thwacks the back of her head, causing her hand to fly up in defense, doing a 180 towards him with squinting eyes.

"Hey!"

"What?" Matt's eyes dart up from the very fascinating Elsa costume in the rack, a small smirk on his face as he plays dumb.

"You threw something at me!" Her eyes drop to the ground trying to find what he threw towards her, a snicker softly echoing across from her.

"I did no such thing."

On the ground a few steps away laid a plastic severed finger which Elena quickly picked up and threw back towards the football player who dodged it, laughing more loudly this time. Leaning over the narrow rack, Elena huffs but a smile is slowly spreading across her face, realizing she was enjoying herself more than excepted. Her eyes glazing over as they stared past Matt to wherever the plastic prop landed, becoming fixated on a white costume piece.

"Earth to Elena!" Matt was waving his hand in front of her face, trying to grab her attention when she blinks his face into focus, an idea popping into her head.

"What if we dressed up as a nurse and doctor! But like creepy, we kill our patients creepy, like something American Horror Story would portray!" She eagerly says, skirting her way around the rack, pushing past him towards a vintage, white nurses costume that looked like it was from the 50s, pulling it from the rack and holding it up. "We could have fake blood on our outfits and—" She picks up the plastic finger from near her foot, "have more stuff like this sticking out of the pockets."

"That sounds pretty cool, actually. And I can easily buy scrubs from anywhere. Now, just to find more plastic extremities."

"You mean," As he swiftly turns to go towards the bin he found the finger, Elena quickly throws it at the back of his head while laughing with a childlike whim. "like that one." She gets out in between laughs.

"Oh, I'm gonna get you back for that!" He laughs while scratching the back of his head where he was assaulted. Digging into the bin of random accessories and props, Matt pulls out a full plastic, severed hand, waving it in the air to show Elena before slowly stalking back towards her.

"Matt, don't you dare throw that!" She chokes out, little bursts of giggles still escaping as she quickly runs around towards the opposite side of the rack, hands grabbing the exposed metal, leaning and ready to set off around the small circular rack if needed. Matt now standing across from her, arm raised ready to lightly throw the plastic piece towards her, a big grin sitting on his face when the shop owner clears his throat behind him. The fake hand quickly falls from his hand to the ground, Elena across from him trying to maintain a serious face and failing greatly.

"Anything I can help you two find?" The shop owner, a short older male who was slightly balding now standing in between the pair on one of the other sides of the rack, his facial expression showing he was far from pleased with their childish behavior.

"Uh," Matt says clearing his throat nervously while trying to keep a laugh in, "no, we're just gonna buy this and, uh, yeah." He scrambles to pick up the plastic hand up and speed walks back towards the bin to grab any other pieces, ready to get out of there. Elena snickering behind him as they cash out with the unpleasant shop owner who is more than relieved to have them out of his shop. Grabbing their bags, the pair is out the door, bursting into a fit as soon as the door clinks closed.

"Did you see his face?! Oh my god, he hated us!" Elena's brown eyes wide, glistening with mischief.

"He didn't hate us…" Matt chuckles as he pulls his keys from his jean pocket and they begin their descent back to his pickup.

"You're right." She nods once for emphasis. "He hated you." Rolling his eyes at her comment, his grin never leaving his face as he glances over at her. She's staring off into the distance, admiring the architecture of the tiny shops and diners while he's staring into her profile, admiring her soft jawline and wispy brown hair falling from its place behind her ear. She's saying something, retelling a story, but he's not really listening, just nodding along and enjoying their time together; when she laughs—this lovely soft note, sounding like music to him—he chuckles along, falling deeper into the crush than he'd like. He never wanted this time to end.

• • •

"Ugh, Caroline." Elena falls backwards onto her blonde best friend's bed, her down-filled comforter rising around her, the plush texture caressing her skin. Caroline's bedroom was a soft bluish-gray color with a large bed centered. The bed had an old whickered headboard, a very standout piece in the otherwise modern bedroom. The plush comforter was an off-white with light gray striping. She had two bedside tables on either side of the bed and the walls were adorned with pictures and a corkboard above her desk across the room; a large window was to the right of the bed, giving the room natural light through the sheer curtains.

"Was it that bad?" Caroline sits cross-legged against the headboard of her bed, her hand reaching out to run her fingers through Elena's splayed out soft brown locks.

"No! And that's the point!" She says exasperated, eyes closing as her friend plays with her hair. "He was funny and nice. _So nice_ , Care. I just—"

"You don't feel the same way."

"No." She says softly. "I don't know!"

"You have to just tell him, Lena. Be honest with him, at least you'll still have him as a friend."

Elena sits up promptly and turns to face her friend, her hair swaying around with her movement. Caroline was dressed in a pair of light gray knit shorts and a white racerback tank top, her light blonde hair parted into two braids, her pale face bare, various textbooks and papers scattered around her. She was in full exam mode, despite wanting nothing more than to prepare for her upcoming audition.

"What did you end up buying?" The blonde peeks towards the end of the bed where the bag Elena brought in is sitting.

"Just a nurse's costume." She dismissively says, her attention elsewhere. Caroline raises an eyebrow at her friend's response, clearing her throat. "It's not like that." She rolls her eyes. "He wanted to do a matching outfit, we're doing this like, killer doctor and nurse pair. It'll be fun."

"Oooh. A couples' costume." The blonde wiggles her eyebrows. Elena groans and falls back onto the plush bed, her arm dramatically tossing up and covering her eyes, not wanting to put up with her pushy friend any longer. "I'm kidding!"

"What're you and Tyler going to wear?"

"Well, I'm going as a witch." Caroline bops her head while going back to studying what looked like organic chemistry. "I'm not sure about Tyler though."

"So," The brunette pauses, "you're telling me, that Matt and I, who aren't dating are matching, but you and Tyler who _practically_ are dating, aren't! How is that fair!"

"Hey, don't project on me! Besides, Tyler's not really into the idea of couples' costumes and I _really_ wanted to be a sexy witch." Caroline smirks, looking up from her textbook at her friend lying beside her. "How was work by the way?"

"Horrible." Elena mumbles while grabbing a pillow, wanting nothing more than to suffocate herself with it. "I think the girl training me hates me. I broke like 3 glasses, and it's so hard to remember all the drink names, Care."

"She doesn't hate you."

"Oh, no. She does." Elena removes the pillow from her face and locks eyes with her friend's blue pair. "She told me, and I quote, that I don't _seem right_ for Matt and that I shouldn't toy with him!" Supplying air quotes when needed to make her points more emphasized were not needed with Caroline; her dramatic best friend would just understand.

"Pfft, she barely knows you, Lena, ignore her." Dismissing her friend. "Besides, it's not like you're planning to date Matt anyway." Her thin hand flips to the next page in her textbook, reading the various highlighted passages.

"I hope she doesn't say anything tomorrow." She huffs and stares up at the ceiling, her dark eyes clouding over with regret for taking this job. The sound of her phone ringing from where she left it on the kitchen counter echoes down the hall into Caroline's expansive bedroom, causing Elena to jump up from her comfortable spot. "You better stop by my first real day at the bar! Even if I am still training."

"Will do!" Caroline giggles, head never lifting up from her lap.

Elena quickly pads down the narrow hallway towards the phone still loudly ringing on the counter, Jenna's contact picture lighting up the screen before she quickly swipes right to accept the call, bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hey Jenna!"

"Elena! Hey! How are things? We miss you so much over here! How's the weather been? It's starting to get pretty cool over here, I'm actually kind of jealous—"

"Jenna," She giggles out, "Breathe."

"Right." Jenna's laugh floats through the speaker of the phone, it's soft and angelic, hitting Elena in the gut. She missed home. "Sorry, just feel like we never talk, you must be so busy. So, how are you?"

"I'm good, Jenna. I just got a job" She says with a forced smile, not like her aunt could see her expression through the phone. "and Caroline has this really big audition coming up! Life's pretty…exciting." _For Caroline._

"That sounds great, Lena. Jer started sketching again," The clinking of utensils in the background can be heard and Elena looks towards the clock on the stove, realizing its almost 7PM on the east coast. "think he might actually be gaining an interest in it again, but I won't push him. We both know what'll happen if someone tries to interfere." Jenna chuckles.

"What're you thinking? Alien? Clone?" Both girls laugh into the phone. "How's you and Logan?"

"We will not be speaking about him."

"That bad huh?"

"He completely skipped out on our last date night and apparently left town for a better news anchor job, couldn't even personally tell me. I heard it from Liz." Jenna frustratingly sighs, the sound of her chopping intensifying. "I'm swearing off men."

"Yeah, you and me both."

• • •

Elena's shift at the bar the following day had started a long two hours prior and with it being the weekend before Halloween, the bar was packed; still no signs of Caroline's blonde curls in sight however. Her tensions were high, trying her best to follow Bonnie's every move and motion, remembering the drink mixes and names and just trying to hear each customer's order over the loud rock music playing over the speakers. She never felt so overwhelmed in her life, whether it was because she was just thrown to the wolves for this job or because of the amount of people—sober and drunk—in the vicinity, she didn't know. She was scheduled well past midnight and she wanted nothing more than to leave as she glanced at the wall clock and read it was only 11:15PM; the Saturday night rush had only begun.

"Elena!"

Her head snaps around to the source and sees the bright smiling face of her best friend trying to weave her way closer to the bar. Caroline's face seemed flushed as she got closer, Tyler following in tow and Elena realized she was already slightly buzzed, walking lopsided in her heels.

"Hey guys!" She quickly chirps while making a martini, shaking the metal canister before dumping it into the glass and adding an olive and bringing it to the waiting redhead at the other end of the bar. As she makes her way back to the other end of the small bar she notices Caroline has managed to get herself a seat as Tyler stands behind, his arms casually draped around her shoulder. They seemed happy together and for that, she was happy.

"Elena, where's that girl you were telling me about yesterday!" Caroline says obnoxiously loud, causing Elena to quickly look around in fear of Bonnie over hearing despite the loud chatter and music.

"Care!" She glares, wanting nothing more to reach over the bar and throttle her friend to the tune of some Maroon 5 song. Her eyes quickly bounce to her left repeatedly, causing the blonde's head to turn obviously in the direction Elena was directing towards, her curls swinging rapidly. Elena sighs loudly at her friend, preparing Caroline's usual drink of a frozen margarita.

"Ty, that's the girl I was telling you about. Do you know her?" Caroline tilts her blue, glassy orbs up towards her date, pointing slightly higher than bar level at the dark-skinned brunette making a round of shots for a fraternity group; and one for herself. Tyler doesn't have to look up, he knew who Caroline had been talking about prior to even arriving at the bar that evening. Bonnie had a fire about her, one that was hard to mistake and one that was hard to get by.

"Yeah, that's Bon." He nods. "She's chill. Hey, Elena, can I get a Budweiser."

"Well, she hates E-Elena!" Caroline hiccups, saying over Tyler's request.

Elena rolled her eyes at her friends' inability to keep a secret, feeling slightly annoyed towards her and handed the couple their drinks before Bonnie would come over to see why she was spending so long on one end. She excused herself from them, not really sure if they heard as Caroline's tongue was lost in Tyler's mouth anyway, a mental picture Elena would never be able to scrub from her memory. Wiping her hands dry on her apron, she taps the register screen to bring it to life starting a tab for Caroline and Tyler while closing one for the customer holding out a hundred in front of her.

"Keep the change." The deep voice says, as she closes the register holding almost $92 in change for the customer. When she looks up to respond the seat is vacant and the empty tumbler is all that is left. This bar wasn't the average high tipper sort of bar, and Elena didn't think she was someone who was pretty enough or good enough at her job to be getting a $92 tip, but with no patron to question she quietly tucked the money into her apron and grabbed the empty glass, gently placing it into the bin ready for Matt to take. The rest of the night seemed uneventful compared to that miraculously high tipper, passing by slowly with little talk between her and Bonnie.

Caroline and Tyler eventually said their goodbyes as the rest of the bar began to dwindle, leaving mainly a crowd of regular drunks and late-night workers. The shift seemed like a win for Elena, no major slip ups, just a few misplaced drinks and one broken glass—plus a $90 tip from one customer; yeah, she'd call that a win! Grabbing a clean dishrag, Elena begins to clean the sticky bar top, grabbing any empty glasses and dumping any liquids, getting a head start on the closing routine by a half hour.

"Hey, Lena!" Matt grins from the corner of the bar she just finished wiping down, leaning against it with a full bin of dishes and cups to be brought back to the kitchen to be cleaned. His eyes glisten with affection in the dull neon bar lighting towards the brunette. The high from working her first successful shift not worn off yet, she felt giddy and it was being projected in her voice.

"Hey, Matty." She slyly says, the softest of smiles appearing on her face, making his heart beat rapidly in his chest.

"So," He paused, his eyes bouncing between the counter and her, "I had fun the other day."

"Me too." She breathily says. "I'm really looking forward to Tuesday." The comment makes Matt's eyes light up like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Oh yeah?! I mean," He clears his throat, "Yeah, me too. It'll be fun. Ty and I go to every party this guy holds since we moved here, they're always crazy." A throat clears behind them, causing Elena to jump and quickly turn around to be face to face with Bonnie.

"Matt, you gotta stop distracting every pretty, new girl that works here!" Bonnie chuckles, trying to make her serious tone sound more lighthearted. Matt nods his head curtly and walks off in a quick pace, almost dropping a glass from his bin as he pushes the kitchen door open. Elena doesn't make eye contact with her as she returns to cleaning the bar, afraid of hearing another lecture from the girl. Bonnie finishes up with the last of the customers, having a more brute attitude and force to be able to drive out the remaining straddlers than Elena would. The closing routine is then taught to Elena, how to count registers, deposit the money into the safe, split tips, check everyone's punches, etc. but poor Elena was so tired she wasn't sure how much she was retaining for knowledge and only prayed she wouldn't close the bar alone for a long time.

Not wanting her to walk home at this hour of night, Matt drives her home and the two sits in silence, Elena starting to drift in and out of sleep in the front bed of his truck. She abruptly wakes as the driver side door slams shut, a signal that they had arrived at their apartment complex. She groggily rubs her eyes and wonders how she'll manage to do anymore late nights at the bar like this, she was truly not a night person. Her door is then opened by Matt, an apology already falling off of his lips before he door is fully opened.

"I didn't mean to wake you. You just-just looked so tired, I was just going to carry you up." He sheepishly looks at his feet.

"It's okay." She whispers, hopping out of the car and wrapping her arms around the small of her waist, the chill of the night nipping at her skin. He closes her door behind her and they walk into the complex, stepping into the elevator together, Elena still tightly wrapping her arms around herself. The silence between the pair comfortable and if anything, either party being too tired to bother holding a conversation. The elevator doors slide open onto Matt's floor just as quickly as they did closing on the ground floor. Stepping out, Matt turns around, his hand holding the doors open.

"Goodnight, Elena. I'll see you Tuesday." He tries is best to say charismatically, smiling softly, taking his hand off the doors, letting them begin to slowly close as he still stands there staring at her hugging herself. Her reflection now staring back at herself on the closed elevator doors, her small frame looking even smaller as she engulfs herself in her arms and she subconsciously wonders if she was doing that from being cold or from being nervous.

* * *

let me know what you think below! next chapter will actually be coming REALLY soon, i swear omg I SWEAR, i was really excited about this next one i've blown right through it, lots of drama, angst.

also, fun fact. the chapter titles are all song titles/lyrics if you _maybe_ haven't picked up on that yet. it was the song i was _really_ feeling while writing the chapters whether thats only reflecting the present part or the past or the entire part...that's something y'all will just have to figure out by listening... ;)

all the best xx


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